To Love A Hart
by 80sTVlover
Summary: Jennifer and Jonathan are newlyweds, broke, and trying to figure it all out. Unfortunately, that also means figuring out who they can trust.
1. Chapter 1

"By the Powers vested in me, by the state of Maryland, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride".

Jonathan Hart stepped forward and lifted his wife's veil and kissed her nicely and sweetly as everyone clapped and applauded.

Jennifer reached back and got her bouquet from her Maid of Honor, and then she and Jonathan walked up the aisle and into her father's home.

"I love you, Mr. Hart".

"I love you, Mrs. Hart".

They shared a sweet kiss until they heard a distinct "ahem". They turned to see her father standing in the living room.

"The place for that is not in the living room, even on your wedding day. Jennifer, the photographer wants some photographs of you and Jonathan, and of the two of you and the wedding party. And Aunt Lillian wants a family picture".

"Yes, Pa".

Six hours later, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hart were driving off into the night, to start their honeymoon.

They were honeymooning in New York, and then moving to California right after.

Jennifer was trying to be happy, but her father had made her have a more conservative wedding than she had wanted. It was no secret that she was more modern and more liberal than he was; it took her three months to convince him that their spending their wedding night in a hotel was better than spending it at his house. In order to save money, he forced her to wear her mother's wedding dress and veil, that she didn't like, and to have the wedding and reception at his home instead of paying for a venue. He vetoed the vows they wanted, and the songs they wanted, and just about everyone they wanted. He barely allowed her to have a cake and flowers, and it was a wonder that she was able to find someone who could do both with the ridiculously small budget he had given her.

But she was now Mrs. Hart, and that's all that mattered.

"Darling, I know you didn't love the ceremony and everything today."

"I am grateful my father agreed to pay for any part of my wedding at all."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when I was growing up, he always told me that he would pay for college, not a wedding. And then we were planning it, he kept making me change things because he's so conservative. I'm shocked he didn't pitch a fit over me wearing this white jumpsuit when we left-he rarely allowed me to wear pants when I was a kid".

"Well, I promise you, once my company gets off the ground, we will have a renewal ceremony and it will be everything you want it to be".

"It's a deal, Mr. Hart".

Jennifer laced her fingers through his as they drove to New York.

"Did we get the apartment in Los Angeles?"

"Yes, we did. It's a small, one-bedroom, one bath. We will be snug, but we'll make it work".

"Yes, we will".

Jennifer reached behind her seat and grabbed the bag she had stashed back there and started going through it.

The back seat was filled with wedding gifts and luggage.

"I'll recount this when we get there, but from what I can tell, we have about $3000 in cash that we received as wedding gifts".

"How kind".

"Yeah, we can really use that".

They made it to New York in under 3 hours. Jonathan's father, Max had generously sprung for the honeymoon suite for them at the Waldorf hotel for two nights. The rest of the time, they were going to be staying in Jennifer's apartment.

***The Waldorf***

Jennifer and Jonathan checked in, and were taken upstairs to the honeymoon suite.

They were met in the hallway by the concierge.

"One moment, while we prepare the room".

A few minutes later, he came back out and cleared them to go in.

They came inside and found that the hotel staff had generously decorated the room for them.

Chilled champagne in a bucket in the corner of the room. Rose petals on the bed in the shape of a heart. Tea lights were lit all around the room.

"It's absolutely beautiful".

They put their luggage down, and decided to order a pizza and have it delivered.

"Ever had Tito's on 8th and 45th?"

"No, I haven't."

"It's the best pizza place in Manhattan, I swear. And the cheapest".

"Sounds good to me. All the Meats".

"You got it".

She called and ordered them two small pizzas and then went and changed into her wedding night ensemble, while Jonathan headed to the car to get the wedding presents.

After everything was brought inside, he took his suit off and put on some white pajama pants and a t-shirt.

Jennifer found a pad in the nightstand and started making a list of who gave them what gift, so that she could do thank you notes later.

They were given a lot of things they had registered for, and some things they hadn't.

They repacked everything into the bags again, and set it over next to their luggage.

Jonathan found a garbage bag in the garbage can and bagged up the wrapping paper.

Their pizzas arrived, so they ate while they watched tv.

When they were finished, they climbed into bed and made love as husband and wife.

They had started making love soon after they were exclusive, and neither of them had any complaints, only compliments. This time, was a little different. It was more passionate, more intense, more thrilling. She settled on his chest right afterwards.

"That was insanely amazing".

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it? I guess your father threatening to turn the hose on us this week actually worked".

"Yeah, I guess it did. I never dreamed that he would let us stay in the same room, but I figured he would be ok with a kiss every now and then, and boy was I wrong".

"And now, we can do that whenever we want".

"Yeah, we can. But we are nowhere near ready for a baby, darling. Not financially, or physically, or mentally".

"That's right, we aren't. We can still prevent that".

"I love that I get to go to bed with you every night, and wake up with you every morning".

He kissed her fingers.

"I love that I have the most gorgeous wife in the universe".

They made love again and then fell asleep, all wrapped up together, blissfully in love.

***A few days later***

Jennifer and Jonathan were at her apartment, nearing the end of their honeymoon.

They had packed up everything she wanted to take with them to California and were donating the rest.

Jennifer taped the last box shut and labeled it, and then went and joined Jonathan in the bed.

She snuggled on to his chest and he kissed her forehead as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I can't believe I'm about to be a Californian."

"You'll be the prettiest one out there".

"And you'll be the handsomest one".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"Thank you for helping me pack my apartment".

"Of course, I helped you. I love you".

They shared a few kisses and then decided to head to an all-night diner for a late dinner.

They walked the 10 blocks hand in hand, completely oblivious to everyone else.

After they finished eating, they headed back to her apartment.

"What time is our flight?"

"Moving company comes tomorrow at 8 a.m. Our flight is at 6 p.m."

"Where are we staying when we get to Los Angeles?"

"My buddy Bill has a beach house that he rents out. He's letting us stay there till we get the apartment keys".

"Wonderful! I cannot wait to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean".

"You are so adorable when you're excited".

"Oh yeah? You are the one that excites me, Mr. Hart".

"I hope I always do, Mrs. Hart".

He chased her to bed and made love to her a few times, before they passed out together.

***Two Weeks Later***

Jennifer and Jonathan were finally back in California. It had been extremely stressful with moving across the country and trying to make everything of hers and his fit in the apartment they were now sharing, but they managed. It was a very tight squeeze. They couldn't be in the bathroom at the same time, nor could both of them be in the kitchen at the same time.

They had decided to use Jennifer's bed, but it wouldn't fit. They ended up having to stash that bed at Max's and going to a cheap furniture store to buy a cheaper, smaller bed.

They couldn't afford a phone and cable tv, so they had to make do with an antenna and local channels only.

Jonathan was working hard to get his company off the ground. Jennifer was working hard to be the perfect wife.

He came home one night, in a better mood than she could recall seeing him have in days.

"Hi darling".

"Hi baby".

He kissed her a few times and loved on her a little extra.

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well, it just so happens that another company called today and they want my company to partner with them on a deal that could bring us over $30 million, and that's just in the first year. So, I agreed to it, and it's going to mean some late nights, but the payoff is too good otherwise".

"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you".

She kissed him again and then went and made them dinner.

"I'm trying a new recipe tonight. I hope you like it".

"I'm sure I will".

"It might look normal, but it's been doctored. It's basically spaghetti noodles, and spaghetti sauce, but with a few extra ingredients".

He took a bite and declared it a winner.

"I made you some extra noodles, since you love more noodles than I do".

They had a nice dinner and then Jennifer watched tv while Jonathan worked on some reports.

By the time he came to bed, she had fallen asleep.

He gently climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you", he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

***A Month Later***

Jennifer was frustrated. She and Jonathan were beyond broke. He was barely bringing in enough to pay their rent and utilities. They had almost no money leftover for groceries. Jennifer had been doing editing on the side, but it wasn't paying as much as she had hoped. Her check from the LA Beat only paid for the phone bill and part of their water bill.

Out of desperation, she called her dad one day at the office.

"Hello?"

"Pa? It's me, Jennifer".

"Jennifer, sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm good, Pa. How are you?"

"I'm well. How are things in California?"

"Expensive. In fact, I am hoping you would be willing to give Jonathan and I a loan. Call it an advance on my next trust fund allotment."

"What do you need the loan for, sweetheart?"  
"To live, Pa. Jonathan's company is struggling, and between the two of us, we are barely covering our bills, and have nothing left over for groceries or gas. We won't need much, just a few thousand till he gets this deal he's going after".

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But you are married now. And your next allotment isn't supposed to happen till you turn 30, which is 6 years away. You'll have to pick up another job or figure something out".

"Pa, you love Jonathan. You told me yourself that I was very lucky to marry him. So why won't you help us out?"

"Because you're married. You are no longer my responsibility, sweetheart. You're an adult now, it's time you made your own way".

"Fine. I love you, Pa".

"I love you too, sweetheart".

They hung up and she went and took every editing job she could find on the bulletin board. She managed to do a few of them, and get paid before she left, which put an extra $100 in her pocket.

"To the market, to the market. It's always to the market".

***A couple hours later***

Jonathan came home late and found Jennifer in the kitchen.

"Hi darling".

"Hi darling".

She kissed him and then returned to the kitchen.

"I called Pa today. Asked him to loan us some money and to take it out of my next allotment of my trust fund. He said no, wouldn't send me a penny. So, I took several editing jobs, and got paid for some of them."

"That's good. I got an advance and used it to pay our rent and utilities today for the next 2 months".

"That's good".

"Max called. He wants us to come to dinner on Sunday".

"How sweet".

"What's for dinner?"

"Tacos".

"My favorite".

They had a nice dinner, and then they both worked on work projects. Jennifer missed spending nights with him, but understood that he was working so much, for them.

Around 11, Jennifer was in bed and Jonathan was still working.

"Hot damn! I figured it out!"

She woke up and went into the living room.

"What is it?"

"Oh, sorry baby. I didn't mean to wake you up, I just got excited".

She straddled his leg and he wrapped his arms around her.

"We've been trying to figure out how to modify this piece of equipment, and I finally figured it out. I made a drawing and everything!"

She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him.

"Can you take this to the paper and sneak a few copies from the copy machine?"

"Yes".

"I promise as soon as ours gets fixed, you won't have to do it any longer".

"I don't mind, I promise. Why don't you come to bed and we'll celebrate properly?"

"In a few minutes. I just have to tie things up".

She kissed him and headed back to bed.

He finally came to bed and made love to her like a ravenous, hungry animal. They were both going to be exhausted the next day, but they didn't care.

Jennifer settled on his chest and played with his chest hair.

"Darling, if you keep coming to the newspaper, my boss is going to get suspicious".

"Well, why don't you meet me for lunch and give me the copies there? My meeting with Allstar Electronics isn't until 2".

"Where do you want to have lunch?"

"What if we had a picnic in the park?"

"I like that".

She kissed him.

"You have the best ideas".

"So, do you".

He made love to her again and they fell asleep, all wrapped up together.

***The Next Day***

Jonathan and Jennifer left together. They were sharing a car, since they couldn't afford the gas and insurance for two vehicles.

"Darling, you should take the car today, that way you can come pick me up for our picnic."

"Ok".

She dropped him at his office building, and then headed to hers.

She made his copies while her boss was in a meeting, and then worked till lunchtime.

She was just about to clock out when her desk phone rang.

"Hello, this is Jennifer Hart".

"Hi, this is Jonathan Hart".

"Hi. I'm just about to come meet you".

"Well, don't. The Allstar Electronics meeting has been moved to tomorrow and another meeting got moved up. I won't be able to meet you for lunch today, I'm sorry".

"Oh, that's alright. What do you want for dinner tonight?"

"Whatever we have is fine, I promise. I love you, more than the world".

"I love you too, bigger than the sky".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up, and decided to go to lunch anyways.

She put the folder with his copies in the front seat, and then drove down to the park.

She was sitting on a bench eating lunch, when she heard someone call her name.

"Jennifer? Is that you?"

"Elliott! Hi!"


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you doing here in California?"

"I live here. I got married a couple of months ago, and moved out here with my husband".

"Oh yes, I think I read something about that. You married Jonathan Hart, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Would you care to join me?"

She moved her purse so he could sit down.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I have a small company that is getting off the ground out here. And I have a few hotels that are scattered up and down the coast".

"That's wonderful".

"I tell you what, you and Jonathan should pick one of my hotels and come spend a weekend. I promise you, the 5-star treatment, on the house".

"Well, thank you, that's very kind of you".

"What kind of work are you doing out here?"

"I work for the _LA Beat_. It's definitely not _The New York Times_, but it's journalism and it's a paying job, so it'll do for now".

"Did you ever give writing your own novel a shot?"

"I've toyed with it a time or two. But I haven't gone too far with it".

"You would be amazing as a novelist. You have such a lovely appreciation of words".

"Thank you".

They chatted about a few other things, and then he walked her to her car.

"It was lovely to see you, Jenny. You look like you are very happy".

"Thank you. It was lovely to see you too. And I am very happy".

"Do you ever wonder how things could have turned out if we had stayed together?"

"I did, for a while. But things always happen for a reason".

"Yes, that they do. Well, it was great to see you".

He kissed her cheek and then headed back to his car.

Jennifer climbed in the driver's seat, and headed back to work.

***Later that night***

Jennifer was in the kitchen finishing up dinner when Jonathan came home.

"Hi baby".

"Hi darling".

She kissed him a few times.

"Where are those copies that you made?"

"In the front seat of the car".

He grabbed the keys and ran down to the car.

A few minutes later, he came back with the file.

"What's for dinner?"

"Lasagna".

"Yum. I'm starved".

They had a very low-key evening and focused on each other.

After they were finished making love, they snuggled up in bed.

"Darling, when you go to the grocery store again, pick up some more condoms".

"Ok".

"What did you end up doing for lunch today?"

"I went to the park anyways. And I ran into an old friend".

"Oh? Who?"

"Elliott. I told you about him-we dated in college, and broke up because I wanted to go to grad school and he wanted to move overseas and we just couldn't get on the same page".

"Yeah, I remember. What's he doing out here?"

"Well, his stepfather was big in the hotel business, and he's sort of taken over the company from him. And he has some hotels in California. He said you and I should pick a hotel of his, and spend a weekend there. He promised me 5-star treatment, on the house".

"That's very kind of him".

"Yep, I thought so too. That's why I called and made the arrangements for this weekend. We are going to one of his hotels here in town, and having a little staycation".

"Well, that sounds extremely fun".

"I hope it's going to be extremely romantic. Can you be home by 5? We have to be there by 6".

"I'm sure I can be".

They chatted till they fell asleep.

***The Next Day***

"And that's how we would make the parts, and since the price of materials is so cheap right now, we could triple production, and fulfill our three contracts at once".

"Jonathan, where did you say this idea came from?"

"It's an original idea. I made it up, myself. These sketches are ones I did myself, in my kitchen".

"I see. Did you tell anyone else about this idea?"

"No, I didn't".

"It's just that Elliott Manning and his team pitched this same idea to us this morning. And his bid is a lot less than yours".

"That's impossible".

"I'm sorry, Jonathan. Better luck next time".

Jonathan felt like he had been punched in the gut.

Somehow, he managed to make his way back to his office.

He slammed his files down on his desk.

About 20 minutes later, his secretary came in.

"Mr. Hart? I was just notified that the board of directors has called an emergency meeting. They are meeting in the conference room in 10 minutes".

"Ok, thank you".

***Conference room***

Jonathan walked in and found everyone waiting for him.

"Well hello, everyone. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Jonathan, there's no point beating around the bush. We are very concerned about this deal that you lost out on to Elliott Manning."

"Yeah, well, those things happen sometimes."

"Explain to us, if you don't mind, how it happened this time".

"Well, they said he under bid us, for the cost of materials".

"You were overheard telling one of your executives that your wife was making copies of the plan for us at her job. And then all of a sudden, Elliott Manning is pitching the same product and trying to win the same three contracts that we were going after."

"Well-"

"It's obvious to me that your wife must have slipped him the files".

"That's impossible".

"I agree with the chairman, Jonathan. It seems as if there is a spy in the house of Hart".

"There isn't". Jonathan's lips were a straight line, and almost pencil thin, a sure sign that he was angry.

"How else would he have gotten that document?"

"I don't know, but she didn't do it. She wouldn't do that to me, or to this company".

"Let's go through this again. You drew the sketches at your kitchen table, and then she took it to her office to make copies and then you got it back when you got home?"

"That's right".

"The only time it was out of your hands is when it was in hers, Jonathan. And she did make copies. She could have very easily made copies for you and copies for him".

"She wouldn't do something like that!"

They all stared at him in awkward silence.

"Well, she wouldn't! You have to believe that!"

"That's a pretty tall order".

"She's my wife!"

"Jonathan, with all due respect, you're asking a lot".

"I am asking the board of directors to believe in my wife. And I'm telling you now, don't ask me to choose. I'll shut this company down and start over in a minute".

***Jennifer and Jonathan's apartment***

Jennifer was very productive at work, and finished her article. Taking Elliott's suggestion, she began to work on her novel while she had the free time.

She collected her paycheck and was surprised to see she had gotten paid for all the editing work she had done all week.

She was so happy about the extra money that she decided to stop at the market on the way home.

She was in the kitchen when Jonathan came home.

"Hi. Enchiladas are almost ready".

She kissed him, and noticed he barely kissed her back.

She put the enchiladas in the oven, and set the timer and then came out to the living room and started setting the table for them.

"Rough day?"

"You could say that."

"Tell me what happened".

"Well, we had the meeting with Allstar electronics. And I presented my proposal, on how to fix their equipment, and got through the whole thing, and at the very end, they told me that my idea was a good one, and that they knew it was good because someone else pitched them the same idea yesterday! With the same drawing and everything. I was so humiliated. And then the board of directors wanted to know who could have pitched my idea to them, if it wasn't me-and I said I have no idea".

"You mean someone stole your idea?"

"Yep. And I know who it was. Your lunchtime companion".

"Elliott? He would never".

"The board thinks you did it. I didn't have a good enough reason to give them to sway their opinions, unfortunately".

She looked at him, in shock.

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"No, I'm not. I'm saying they think you gave the drawing to Elliott, and that he gave it to Allstar".

"And what do you think?"

"I'm asking you what happened".

"Jonathan, if you don't trust me-"

"I do trust you, I do trust you".

"If you trusted me, you wouldn't have asked me".

"Just tell me what happened".

"For the last time, I put the copies in the file folder. I put the file folder in the car. I drove to the park. I sat on a bench. Elliott approached me. We had a very nice conversation, and then he walked me to my car. I said goodbye to him. He walked away. And I drove back to work".

"Did you leave the copies in the car?"

"Yes, I did. I couldn't take them inside the paper, what if my boss saw them?"

"That's a good point. Were the doors of the car locked?"

"Yes, they were".

"And you're sure you didn't show them to Elliott?"

She looked at him with her eyes blazing.

"You don't trust me! You lied, when you said you trusted me. You don't trust me at all!"

"Jennifer-"

"No Jonathan, this is ridiculous! You are the one who asked me to make the copies. And you are the one who proposed us having lunch in the park. And you are the one who canceled. And I don't know a lot about copy machines, but it's possible that someone from my office made a duplicate of the last item copied, and they gave it to Allstar. But no, you just want to blame me. That's not fair!"

"None of this is fair! I've poured blood, sweat, and tears into this project, just to have it ripped out from under me at the last minute! You don't seem to understand that if the board of directors of my own company thinks you are giving away company secrets, my company might just go under. It means everything to me, Jennifer. It's the most important thing in my life".

"I don't know what to tell you, Jonathan. I didn't show anyone your copies. I didn't tell anyone about your copies. I didn't tell anyone about your project. You married me, not the company. Maybe you should have married someone else, especially if all you wanted was a patsy!"

"Don't be hysterical!"

"Don't tell me how to feel! I am doing all I can to make ends meet around here, so we aren't eating ramen every night. But look around, Jonathan! We are broke. We are broke-r than broke. And instead of you thanking me for what I'm doing, you come home and accuse me of spying for the enemy, which would mean less money for us, less success for you. Thanks a lot!"

"Did you show him the copies, Jennifer?"

"NO!"

She stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door and locked it.

A few minutes later, the timer on the oven went off.

He got the enchiladas out of the oven and set them on the stove.

He knocked on the door.

"Baby, enchiladas are ready".

"I don't give a damn!"

He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

***The Next Day***

Jennifer never came out of their room all night. Jonathan had slept on the couch.

Early in the morning, she woke up, showered, and got ready and then opened the door and left while he was in the shower.

She didn't tell him bye, she didn't tell him anything. She didn't even make his lunch.

She left the keys on the hook and walked to work, not giving him another thought.

Jonathan felt horrible, but he figured they would resolve things that night.

He left her a note that he loved her and headed to the office.

***Later that Morning***

Jonathan was trying in vain to save the deal with Allstar Electronics. He had decided to try a cheaper version than what he had proposed to them.

He told his secretary not to disturb him and locked himself in his office, determined to figure it out.

Jennifer called around 11, to extend an olive branch.

"Hart Industries, how can I help you?"

"Hi. Can I speak to Jonathan Hart, please?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, he doesn't wish to be disturbed".

"This is his wife. Will you ask him if he'll talk to me for just a minute?"

"Hold on, ma'am".

The secretary put her on hold and then took another call.

"Hold please".

She turned to another executive.

"Did they fix the internet issue?"

"No, they didn't".

When she ended that call, she mixed up who was waiting on which line.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. He said no".

"Ok, thank you".

Jennifer hung up, feeling defeated.

They had fought a little when they were dating and engaged, but never like this. And this might have been the worst fight they had ever had, but she didn't think he would have ever carried it that far. She was more hurt than anything, that he wasn't willing to try and work things out.

She made it through the day, and then left as soon as she was allowed to and headed straight home.

She waited as long as she could, and then took a bus downtown to the hotel.

As soon as she checked in, she cried buckets, all by herself, in the biggest bed she had ever seen.


	3. Chapter 3

***Jonathan***

Jonathan came into their apartment and was stunned by the silence.

He looked for Jennifer in all of the rooms and realized she wasn't there.

He went to his note and found that she had written on the other side a note to him.

_We were supposed to go to the hotel this weekend. You said you would be home by 5. I'll be home Sunday. Jennifer _

He heated up some leftovers and then sat down on the couch, trying to figure things out.

***Sunday***

Jennifer had used the weekend to work on her novel, and was quite proud of what she had accomplished.

She packed up her things on Sunday, and came home to Jonathan, hopeful that he was in a good mood and willing to talk.

He was sitting on the couch when she came in, watching tv.

"Hi".

"Hi".

She took her bags to the bedroom and unpacked, and then started gathering laundry.

He followed her to the bedroom.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"At the hotel, like we had planned".

"Would you like to tell me how you spent the weekend?"

She turned to him, shocked that he was trying to pick a fight with her so soon after she got home.

"Would you like it minute by minute, or hour by hour? Or perhaps a broad generalization?"

He decided to match her tone with a tone of his own.

"How about second by second?"

"if you wanted to know those details, you should have come home and come with me. And if you didn't want to go, you should have taken my call on Friday and told me so, instead of giving me the run around".

"I don't have a clue as to what phone call you are talking about. And you still haven't answered what you did at the hotel".

"I was alone, Jonathan. If I was going to cheat on you, it wouldn't take place in that hotel, that's for sure".

"I'm not accusing you of cheating".

"It sounds like you are accusing me of something".

"I'm not".

"If you want to know something, just ask me".

"Fine. Was Elliott at the hotel with you?"

"With me? No, he was not. Whether he was in the building, I can't say. He owns the place, he has the right to be there".

"Fine".

He went and sat on the couch again, and she stayed in the bedroom.

Just before dinner, he appeared in the bedroom.

"Max is expecting us".

"Tell him I said hi".

"Jennifer, come on. Don't do this. Max loves you, and he's expecting both of us."

"I'm not interested in us fighting at Max's house, Jonathan".

"I'm not interested in that either".

"Fine."

She got up, got ready and they headed to Max's. it was the quietest car ride they had ever had.

***Max's House***

Max lived in a small, two-bedroom house, down on the beach.

Jonathan and Jennifer pulled up and parked, and got out.

They walked to the door and rang the doorbell.

"Hi Mr. H., Mrs. H. Come on in".

"Hi Max".

She kissed him on the cheek as she passed him.

"Hey Max".

They all gathered in the kitchen.

"How are things?"

"Good, how are you?"

"I'm doing well. Poker tables have been treating me very well, as a matter of fact".

"Glad to hear it, Max".

"Can I help you with dinner, Max?"

"No need, Mrs. H. it's almost done. We are having grilled steaks, mashed potatoes, and a chopped salad. And I got extra steaks that I've already marinated that you twos can take home with you and grill yourselves".

"That's very kind of you, Max".

They had a nice visit with Max, and he noticed that Jennifer and Jonathan weren't nearly as touchy feely with each other as normal. They were barely acknowledging each other. Jennifer did the dishes while Max and Jonathan talked.

"Mr. H., if I may, Mrs. H. don't seem too happy. Is everything ok?"

"No. We are fighting and she's mad at me."

"Ok, out with it."

He sighed.

"My company is trying to partner with another company. If we get this partnership, we could earn some serious coin in the next year. We are talking 7 figures, Max. It could put us on the map. So, I developed a drawing for a prototype, and because our copy machine is on the fritz, I asked her to make copies at her job. She agreed and we were going to have lunch, but I had to cancel. So, she had the copies in her car, and she went to the park where we were going to eat, and ran into an ex-boyfriend of hers. According to her, they had a nice chat, he walked her to the car and they went their separate ways. The next day, I went to the meeting, did my whole spiel, and found out they had already been pitched a cheaper version, with the same drawing, and were pulling out of the deal. So, I asked her if she gave the drawing to anyone, and she said no. My board of directors thinks she's lying, but I don't. He gave her and I a hotel room this weekend, free of charge, and she went without me. I tried to talk to her this morning when she came home, but it just turned into another fight".

"What did you expect her to say when you accused her of giving the copies to the enemy?"

"I don't know. I didn't expect it to be a fight".

"Mr. H., she's your wife. She's the one person you are supposed to trust and respect above everyone else. And you accused her of purposely hurting you and your company".

"I was just trying to get a straight answer, once and for all".

"Well, she gave you one. Did you accept it?"

"No, I guess I didn't".

"Well, then when you two get home tonight, talk to her. Start over. Tell her you're sorry, and then ask her again what happened and this time, accept what she says. She loves you, and she'll let you love her."

"That's a good idea".

Jennifer reappeared with the leftovers.

"Jonathan, I have a bit of a headache. What if I take the car home and you have Max bring you when you're ready?"

"Oh, that's ok. I'll drive you home".

"Are you sure? I don't want to cause your visit to end".

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've talked Max's ear off already".

Max walked them to the door.

"Goodnight Max. Thank you so much for dinner and having us and for the leftovers".

"No problem, Mrs. H."

Jennifer headed to the car while Jonathan said goodnight to Max.

"Thanks Max. I'll let you know how it goes".

"Here, Mr. H. I meant to give you this earlier. Here's some money for groceries and incidentals".

"Thanks Max. We appreciate it".

Jonathan came and joined Jennifer in the car and drove them home.

Neither of them spoke a word the whole way.

***Jennifer and Jonathan's Apartment***

They came inside and Jennifer headed to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

As soon as she was done, Jonathan held his hand out to her and she took it.

He led her to the couch where they sat down.

"I'm sorry we fought. I love you, and the last thing I want to do is fight with you. But I still need to figure this out. So, I want us to start over. I want you to tell me exactly what happened with the copies and I promise, whatever you tell me, I'll believe you".

"Jonathan, I don't want you to believe me just because you're married to me. I want you to believe me because you trust me".

"I do trust you. Just tell me what happened".

"I made your copies. And then you called and said we couldn't have lunch, so I took my lunch and headed to the park anyways. I put the copies in a file folder, and put them on the front seat of the car. And while I was at the park, I ran into Elliott, or rather, he approached me. We had a nice chat, and then he walked me to my car and then we went our separate ways. I went back to work, and left the copies in the car. They stayed in the car until you came home and went and got them".

"Ok."

"That's it".

"Thank you. I believe you, and I'm sorry I doubted you or made you feel like I don't trust you".

"Thank you".

"Can I ask you something else?"

She nodded.

"It's not that I'm jealous. But what did you and Elliott talk about?"

"Small talk, really. He asked me why I was here in California, and I told him that I live here with you, my husband. He knew who you were, and he told me he was here to check on his hotels. And then he offered us a stay at his hotel. And then he asked me if I was working, and then he told me it was great to see me, that I looked happy. And he asked me if I ever wondered what life would have been like if things had worked out between us, and I said I used to, but then I met you and realized that everything happens for a reason, and then we went our separate ways".

"I see".

"What are you thinking?"

"Darling, I think you might have been set up".

"By whom?"

"Elliott".

"Oh, that's insane. He wouldn't do that".

"Baby, does the parking lot of the _LA Beat_ or the building structure have cameras outside?"

She was shocked.

"Are you kidding? The owner is way too cheap for that. We are lucky to have a working coffee maker and copy machine".

Jonathan was staring straight ahead.

"Was that day the only day you've seen Elliott?"

"Since I moved out here, yes".

"Damn."

"Darling, is Elliott even connected to Allstar Electronics? He's a hotelier, and I have honestly never known him to be interested in electronics. Darling, he had a hard time using the remote to my tv".

Jonathan smirked.

"Maybe. But when 30 million dollars is at stake, anyone's interest can be piqued".

"Well, you can sit here and play Colombo all night if you want. I'm going to bed".

He stood up and helped her up off the couch.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her a few times.

"Do I have to sleep on the couch tonight?"

"Hmmm….let me think….."

He started kissing her neck while she hugged him.

"My back, baby….the couch was so lumpy my back was really hurting".

"Oh, poor baby….maybe next time you should listen to your wife".

He kissed her again.

"I promise to always listen to you and communicate with you, no matter what".

"And I promise to forgive you when you forget to do so".

"It's a deal".

"You can sleep in the bed again, but if you are wanting anything else to happen, you need to run to the drugstore".

"It's a deal. Max gave me some money to help out with groceries and bills, darling. So, maybe I'll go put this in the bank at the atm and then hit the drug store".

"Maybe you won't. I don't want you getting robbed at night, darling".

"Fair enough".

He gave her a few kisses and then grabbed his keys.

"Don't keep me waiting too long".

She headed to the bedroom and put on his favorite nightgown while he headed to the drugstore.

***Drugstore Parking Lot***

Jonathan had purchased the biggest box of condoms he could find, in the interest of saving money, of course.

He picked up a couple bottles of Jennifer's favorite sparkling water and then checked out.

He was in the parking lot, walking to the car when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Walking towards him was a dead ringer for an ex-girlfriend of his, Nikki Stephanos.

"Jonathan, hi".

"Nikki, how are you?"

They shared a friendly hug.

"You're a little far from home, aren't you?"

"Just here on business, for a few months."

"I see. Well, perhaps our paths will cross again".

"Perhaps we should make them cross. Do you still live with Max?"

"No, I got married a couple of months ago. My wife and I have an apartment".

"Married? You? What's her secret?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sold for life".

"Well, it's good to see you happy".

"How are you? How's your brother?"

"He's fine. I'm single again, but I won custody of my daughter, so she's my focus. Hopefully, she's going to be arriving here next week. I am hoping to stay here at least 6 months".

"Well, in that case, I'm sure we'll cross paths at least once more. I gotta get back to my wife, but it was great to see you".

"Great to see you too".

She kissed him on both cheeks and then headed into the store while he headed back to Jennifer.

***Jennifer and Jonathan's apartment***

Jennifer was sitting up in bed, and beginning to get angry. Where could Jonathan be? He had been gone 40 minutes on a trip that should have had him back in 10.

She didn't want to think something was wrong, but her mind was starting to wonder if everything was alright.

She sighed a sigh of relief when she heard his key turn in the door.

"Baby you still up?"

"Barely. Where exactly did you go?"

"Just to the drugstore".

He put something in the fridge and then came to the bedroom.

"I ran into an old friend in the parking lot and we talked for a minute".

"I see".

He quickly changed into his pajamas and then joined her in the bed.

"What's her name?"

"What makes you think it was a woman?"

"You have that look, Jonathan".

"What look?"

"The look that says you weren't speaking to a male. Besides, the last time you ran into a guy friend you didn't have that long of a conversation, definitely not 30 extra minutes' worth".

"Her name is Nikki. She's the heiress, that I told you I dated, from Greece."

"And just what did she want?"

"She was just saying hello and that it was good to see me. She was surprised that I was married, and actually asked what your secret is."

"Wouldn't she like to know".

"Darling, are you jealous?"

"Should I be?"

"Let's make a deal. You won't be jealous about Nikki, and I won't be jealous about Elliott".

"Fine".

He wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"I missed sleeping next to you".

"I missed sleeping next to you too".

He kissed her with passion and longing, and briefly explored her mouth with his tongue.

They made love like it was their wedding night and then she fell asleep on his chest.

***Several Days Later***

Jennifer was at the office, working on an article, and desperately trying to finish it. She wanted to work on her novel more than she wanted to do anything else.

She decided to take a computer home so she could keep working on it through the weekend.

She was about to head home when the phone rang.

"Hello, this is Jennifer Hart".

"Hi sweetheart. It's Pa".

"Hi Pa. How are you?"

"Very well, very well".

'Very well' was his standard answer.

"I am calling to tell you that I have to be in Germany over Thanksgiving, sweetheart".

"Oh, that's alright. I think Jonathan told Max we would see him for Thanksgiving. But we want to see you for Christmas".

"Can you two afford a plane ticket out here?"

"Well, no. But we still want to see you".

"Well, I've never been interested in a California Christmas, sweetheart. So, unless you can come up with the airfare, we might have to settle for a phone call this year".

"Pa, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what, sweetheart?"

"Punishing us for getting married. Gamps and Ganny helped you and Momma when you were first married. But you refuse to help Jonathan and me at all. You forced us to have the wedding that you wanted, not the one that we wanted".

"I beg your pardon. The wedding you wanted was considerably more expensive".

"Pa, seriously? How much money would it have cost you if we had said our own vows instead of recycling old ones? Or if we had played music during the ceremony that was from this century?"

"Well, none, but we have appearances to uphold, sweetheart. We can't have people thinking that we've raised you to go all willy-nilly".

"Well, I'm telling you now, and you can do with this information what you wish-at some point before our 5-year anniversary, Jonathan and I are going to have a wedding do-over. I don't have all the details planned out now, but I do know that I will more than likely wear a strapless dress, I will not wear a veil, our guests will have more to eat than cake and punch, and Jonathan and I will hardly keep our hands to ourselves during the reception. So, you might as well get used to the idea now".

"You can disgrace our family all you wish to, sweetheart, but you will do it without me by your side".

"Pa, don't you want to spend time with us?"

"Well of course, I do".

"So, buy us the tickets. It can be our present from you."

"Sweetheart, like I have repeatedly told you, you are married now, it is time you stand on your own two feet".

"And like I told you, Gamps and Ganny helped you and Momma. They would be ashamed that you aren't helping us, and so would Momma. You know she'd be yelling at you about it for days".

"My decision is final, sweetheart. I hope that you can get the money together and come for a visit. I'll talk to you later".

Jennifer hung up, mad as hell. She just didn't understand why her father was determined to make things that much harder for them when he of all people could make them that much better.

She headed home, and hoped that Jonathan was home when she got there.


	4. Chapter 4

***Jennifer and Jonathan's Apartment***

Jennifer came in and started on dinner. She was almost finished cooking when Jonathan came home.

"Baby, you home?"

"In here".

"Hi beautiful".

"Hi handsome".

She gave him a couple kisses.

He could tell she wasn't in the best of moods.

"Rough day?"

"No, rough ending. Pa called to tell me he would be out of the country for Thanksgiving but home for Christmas, not that it matters, because you and I cannot afford a plane ticket to fly out for either of us, and I told him so, and I suggested that he give us one for Christmas and he refused. So, then we discussed why he's being so hard on you and me and not helping us out financially at all, and he refused to answer and refused to budge. I just don't get it. My grandparents helped my parents out, so why wouldn't he help us?"

"Darling, we may not need his help. I made a discovery today, and it just might put us on the map, after all".

"Oh, what did you discover?"

"Well, the original prototype in the drawing was using foil, but we tested it in the lab today and it wasn't steady. So, we tested it with copper and it was steady. So, the team and I are going to forget the partnership with Allstar Electronics and market the device ourselves, and find our own contracts".

She put their dinner in the oven.

"That's wonderful!"

She came over to him and hugged him and gave him a nice, slow kiss.

"What was that for?"

"Skill and ingenuity".

She kissed him again.

"What's that one for?"

"Me".

"I like the way you think".

"So, what does this discovery mean?"

"Well, hopefully, it will help my company get a Naval contract. I just have to convince the board to allow me to go solo on this one".

"I'm sure you can convince them. After all, you convinced me to marry you".

"Convinced you? More like begged".

"And you only had to ask once".

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, and then went and set the table.

They had a romantic, celebratory dinner and then got in their pajamas and watched a movie in bed.

They were just about to fall asleep when there was a knock at the door.

Jonathan went and got it, and found a delivery man on the other side.

"Delivery for a Jonathan Hart".

"That's me".

He signed for it and carried the box inside.

Jennifer came out to the living room.

"Who was it?"  
"Delivery".

He opened the box and found 12 long-stemmed red roses.

He pulled the card out while Jennifer looked through the roses.

"Roses. I would have picked carnations for a man".

He handed her the card.

_Can't wait to see you again. Nikki._

Jennifer narrowed her eyes at Jonathan.

"She can't be serious".

"Considering she just spent almost $65 dollars on a dozen roses, I would say she's quite serious".

Jennifer dropped the card in the box and went back to the bedroom without saying anything.

Jonathan locked the door and turned the light out and came to the bedroom.

"Jennifer, don't be mad".

"I'm not mad".

"Well, if you aren't mad, what are you?"

"I don't know. But I'm not mad".

"She's just a friend, that's all. What we had was over a long, long time ago".

"I understand that you feel that way. But she obviously doesn't, since she's sending you flowers and hoping to see you again".

Jonathan climbed in bed next to Jennifer.

"Well, then it's a good thing that I'm only interested in how you feel, isn't it?"

"Promise?"

"Promise, promise".

***Three Days Later***

Jennifer was at the office, and had just finished her article. She immediately proofed It, turned it in, and then began working on her novel some more.

She was in the zone when the phone rang, and absentmindedly picked it up.

"Hello, this is Jennifer Hart".

"Hey. You busy?"

"Not terribly. How are you?"

"Good, I guess. Listen, I won't be home for dinner tonight. I have a late meeting with a potential business partner".

"What time do you think you'll be home?"

"Late, probably around 9".

"Ok, see you then".

"Don't be upset".

"I'm not. I'm not upset at all. If you have to work, you have to work".

"I love you, I promise I'll make it up to you".

"There's nothing to make up. I hope your meeting goes well. I love you, too".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone and got back to work.

At the end of the day, she decided to take a computer home so that she could keep working on it, and headed home.

***Jonathan and Jennifer's apartment***

Jennifer came inside just as the phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hi sweetheart, it's Pa, how are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Good, good. Did you and Jonathan make arrangements to fly out here for Christmas?"

"No, we cannot afford to do that. And there's no way we are going to drive in his small sportscar that far".

"Very well, sweetheart. Well, if you two aren't going to come for a visit, then I'll make arrangements to be in London at that time".

"London in Christmas sounds very nice".

"Maybe one day, your husband can afford to take you there".

"Yeah, maybe one day".

They chatted a few more minutes and then hung up.

She made her and Jonathan dinner, and saved his portion.

She was working away on her novel when he finally got home.

"Hi darling".

"Hi yourself. Dinner is on the stove".

He came over and gave her a couple of kisses and then headed to the kitchen.

"How was your meeting?"

"Long. But, overall I think it was somewhat productive".

"Well, that's good. Pa called earlier tonight".

"Oh? Did you two have a good conversation?"

"Better than the last one. He was really just calling to rub it in that we can't afford to fly there for Christmas".

"Darling, do you think he would really do that?"

"I lived with him, so I know for a fact he would. I told him that we cannot afford to fly home, and we are not interested in driving home in our small vehicle, and that's when he said "Oh, well if you two aren't coming, I'll just go to London. He knows that I love London at Christmas, he knows that I love London anytime of the year. He's just being spiteful".

She saved her work and put the computer away.

He came and sat by her with his dinner.

They found a movie on tv to watch and snuggled up.

"So, has Nikki contacted you anymore?"

"Yes. She's called and wants to see about doing a deal with her company and mine. I told her we could set up a meeting and talk about the specifics".

"I see".

"It's just business".

"I believe you".

"Have you heard from Elliott again?"

"No, I haven't. Did his company get that contract you were after?"

"Yes, they did. But for not as much money because they don't have the manufacturing space like I do".

He started explaining to her how the whole system worked. She linked her arm through his and just leaned back and listened.

Jennifer could listen to Jonathan talk about anything, really, forever.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well, tomorrow morning, I am pitching this product to two companies, and if I get it, our stock price is going to soar. And when I do, I'm going to come home and make love to you all night long to celebrate".

He leaned over and kissed her.

"Tomorrow? What about tonight?"

"Tonight is the pre-game. Tomorrow is the celebration".

They were in the middle of a very sexy kiss when the phone rang.

He reached over and picked it up.

"Hello?" Hi Nikki, how are you?"

Jennifer got up and moved out of his reach and headed to the bedroom.

"Jonathan, I was calling to see if you and I could meet for lunch tomorrow. There are some things I need to go over with you".

"Sure. Why don't we say 11? You can come by the office".

"Sounds good. See you then".

Jonathan hung up, turned off the tv and headed to the bedroom.

Jennifer was in the bed, silently fuming.

He got ready for bed without saying anything to her, and then climbed in bed.

"It was just a friendly phone call".

"At this hour?!"

"She wanted to schedule a meeting with me, and she wanted to make sure I was going to be there".

"How convenient".

"It's 100% innocent, Jennifer. I swear it".

They went to sleep without another word.

***The Next Day***

Jennifer still hadn't spoken to Jonathan. She was hoping that he would call and ask her to lunch, but then she remembered he was already having lunch, with Nikki.

She took her lunch and went to the park. Feeding the squirrels and people watching always helped her relax.

She had just finished her lunch and was heading back to the car when she heard a strange, yet familiar noise.

She watched through the windshield as a familiar car pulled up ahead of her and parked against the sidewalk.

_Elliott. He still has that same sportscar without the muffler. I should have recognized it. _

She watched for a few moments, and was just about to pull away, when she saw Nikki Stephanos pull up, park, and get into his car.

He roared off down the street before Jennifer could pass him.

She had a sneaking suspicion that the two of them were up to something.

***Jonathan and Jennifer's apartment***

Jennifer got home about an hour early, and took a long, hot bubble bath.

She had just gotten out when there was a knock at the door.

She tightened her robe around her waist and went and cautiously answered it.

Elliott was on the other side.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Just coming by to say hi."

"How did you know where I lived?"

"You wrote your address down when you signed into my hotel last weekend."

"Oh, yeah. That's right".

"I was hoping I could take you to dinner".

"Well, that's very sweet, but Jonathan and I have dinner plans already".

"Not the two of you. Just you. You and me, just like it used to be".

"Elliott, I'm married now. Happily."

"Jennifer, you and I were good together. We only broke up because of circumstances, and if those circumstances hadn't been present, we'd still be together".

He traced her jaw with his finger.

She moved away from his touch.

"Elliott, we don't know that".

Elliott stepped forward and kissed her. It was almost a full minute before Jennifer managed to get him off of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Remember, Jennifer. Just let yourself remember".

"How dare you kiss me like that!"

"Jennifer, it was just a Hollywood kiss. Totally harmless".

"Bull. That was an outright pass".

"Ok, so what if it was? I know what I want, and I want you".

"Elliott, you crossed a line".

"Yeah, and hopefully next I'll be crossing your panty line".

"That's it! Get out! You had no right to come here and touch me like this! For once and for all, you and I are done. We have been done, and we will always be done, because I love Jonathan with all of my heart, and I'm sorry, there's no room left for you. I had hoped we could be friendly acquaintances, but you just made that impossible".

"You're making a huge mistake, Jennifer. You don't even know how big of a mistake you are making".

"I'll take my chances".

She practically pushed him out and locked the door behind him.

She immediately went and put some clothes on and then poured herself a glass of wine.

She called Jonathan at the office.

"Hello, Hart Industries. How may I help you?"

"Hi, Jonathan Hart please".

"Hello?"

"Hey. Are you busy?"

"Not where you're concerned."

"Well, I'm home, and I just took a long bubble bath, and I was wondering if you were going to be home soon".

"As a matter of fact, I'm wrapping things up now and should be home in about 20 minutes".

"Great. I can't wait. I love you".

"I love you too".

She blew him a kiss as she hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to decide what to make for dinner.

She decided on spaghetti, so she took out some meat to thaw in the sink.

Jonathan got home right on time, and found her on the couch.

"Hi darling".

"Hi darling".

He came over and kissed her.

"Jonathan, we need to talk".

"Ok".

"So, two things happened. First, I took my lunch to the park today, and had a really nice, quiet, and peaceful lunch. And then I headed back to the car, and I heard this noise. It was strange, yet familiar in a way. I couldn't place it, so I climbed in the car, and then I saw it. Or rather, him. The strange noise was Elliott's sportscar. In all the years I've known him, it's never had a muffler, so it's always made this strange sound".

"Ok".

"So, I watched him for a few minutes, and then I saw Nikki pull up in her car, park, and climb into his".

"Ok".

"So, I think the two of them might be up to something".

"Could be. Then again, Nikki's dad's company is very popular in Europe, and it's possible that they were discussing business".

"I guess it's possible".

"What's the other thing?"

"Well, I got to come home early. So, I came home and took a bubble bath, and then Elliott came by, unannounced".

She settled back on the couch and he put his arm around her.

"For what reason?"

"He was saying something about coming by to say hi, and I asked him how he found out where we lived. And he reminded me that I signed in with this address at the hotel. And then he asked me to have dinner with him, and I told him that you and I already had dinner plans. So, he clarified that he wasn't asking us to dinner, he was asking me to dinner. And I told him no, that I'm happily married and then he started talking about how he and I broke up due to circumstances and that if we hadn't had those circumstances, we would still be together. And he traced my jaw with his finger, and I didn't like it. So, I flinched, and told him we might not still be together, and then he stepped forward and kissed me".

"Lightly on the cheek".

"No. So, I pushed him off me, and he tried to say it was just a "Hollywood kiss", and when I told him he crossed a line, he said something vulgar, and I threw him out".

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I'm just disgusted. And now I'm even more convinced that he and Nikki are up to something".

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he used to try and use women that look like her to make me jealous. And he didn't mention her at all".

Jennifer and Jonathan tried to salvage what was left of their evening, and put Elliott and Nikki out of their minds.

However, both of them couldn't help but think the worst was yet to come.


	5. Chapter 5

***That Weekend***

Jennifer was at home, waiting on Jonathan to get back. He had gone on a golf outing with other businessmen, to try and drum up some business.

She decided to make a grocery list, so she could go grocery shopping the next day.

She pulled her debit card out of her purse and called the number on the back.

_At the present time, your balance is $12.38_.

Jennifer cursed and then hung up the phone. She looked through the cabinets and decided that if she portioned things correctly, they could make it till Thursday, when she got paid again. It would be rough, but she could make it work.

She was in the bedroom gathering up the laundry to take it downstairs to the laundromat when there was a knock at the door.

She threw all the clothes in the laundry basket and then opened the door.

On the other side was Nikki Stephanos.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Hi, is Jonathan Hart home?"

"No, I'm sorry. He's not in right now".

"I see. Well, my name is Nikki, and I just thought I would bring this by for him. It's sort of a surprise, since he's not expecting me".

"Ok. I'll see that he gets it".

"Thank you. I don't think we've met before".

"You're right. We haven't. I'm Jennifer, Jonathan's wife".

"Hi, I'm Nikki. Jonathan's friend".

"Nice to meet you".

Jennifer's icy, yet serious tone told Nikki she wasn't playing around.

"Well, if you'll just tell him I stopped by. There's a note in the bag, not that he'll need it to realize what's in the bag".

"Will do".

Jennifer took the bag and closed the door and put the bag in the fridge.

She left Jonathan a note on the counter.

_Downstairs doing laundry. Nikki came by and left you a present, in the fridge. _

She drew a heart and signed it "me" like she always did, and then headed to the laundromat.

Two hours later, their clothes were all washed and dried and folded or hung up, and she was back in the apartment.

She had a wild hair, so she picked up the phone and called her dad.

"Hello?"

"Pa? It's Jennifer".

"Hello, sweetheart. How are you?"  
"Good. I was wondering, what would you think about getting Jonathan and I a washer and dryer for Christmas? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just good enough that it will wash and dry our clothes and keep me from having to spend my weekends in the laundromat".

"Sweetheart, you have a savings account that should cover a washer and dryer quite nicely".

"Pa, don't do this. You know that account just barely covered moving me to California after the wedding".

"Sweetheart, part of being an adult is deciding what matters the most to you, and what you can do without. Between you and Jonathan's salaries, you should be able to afford a washer and dryer. If you cannot, then I'm sorry. But it won't teach you to stand on your own two feet if I buy you a washer and dryer".

"Pa! Here we go again! Why are you punishing us for getting married?"

"I'm not punishing you, sweetheart. And yes, Gamps and Ganny did help your mother and me, but sweetheart, Poppy and Gigi did not. They never gave us another dime after we got married, and it was hard, but we survived, sweetheart. In fact, we thrived, probably more than we would have if they had helped us out. And you and Jonathan will too".

"Fine, Pa. I love you, I have to go".

"I love you too, sweetheart".

They hung up and she got busy putting the clothes away.

She sighed a sigh of relief when she heard Jonathan's keys turn in the door.

"Baby, you home?"

"In here".

He came and kissed her.

"Hi gorgeous".

"Hi. You had a delivery".

"I did?"

"Yes. It's in the fridge. It was from Nikki".

He went and pulled it out.

"Did she say anything?"

"No, she just asked for you, asked that I give you this and said you would remember".

He pulled the bag out of the fridge and tore it open.

Inside was a 6-pack of steaks, a 6-pack of chicken breasts, onions, peppers, tomatoes, some sharp cheddar cheese, two baguettes, and a very nice bottle of wine.

"Well, this was very kind of her".

"Yeah, it was. Too bad we can't accept it".

"Why can't we?"

"Jonathan! You and I are married, not you and her. Why would you want to accept that?"

"Jennifer, it was just a kind gesture."

"What did she want you to remember?"

"The first night she and I met each other, her father was throwing a cook-out and invited me. And when I left, he loaded me up with what he called leftovers, and I got home and it was all the uncooked food from the cookout. Chicken, steaks, veggies, the whole works. She didn't mean anything by it, I'm sure. She just wanted me to remember a funny time that she and I shared".

"It's not proper, Jonathan."

"We need the groceries, don't we?"

"Yes, we do. And speaking of that, I called the bank to check our account balance. We have exactly $12.38 to last till Thursday".

"Not exactly. I scored not one, not two, but three deals on the golf course today. And one of them paid in cash, upfront".

"How much?"

He pulled a check out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"$5000? Is this real?"

"It's real".

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He picked her up and spun her around as he kissed her.

"I'm so proud of you".

He set her down.

"What if we put this in the bank and then go shopping for a washer and dryer, along with some groceries?"

"You got it".

They were in the middle of another kiss when the phone rang.

He reached over and grabbed it.

"Hello?...hey, how are you? Oh I see…..sure, we'd like that. Can we bring anything? Ok, sounds good. Yes, it's right here. Ok, see you in a little bit".

He hung up and then looked at Jennifer.

"That was one of the businessmen I played golf with today. He wants us to come to dinner at his house, tonight. He and his wife are throwing a dinner party".

"How kind. Can we take something?"

"He said the food is covered, but we can definitely bring some wine or alcohol if we'd like".

"Well, it's good that Nikki brought us some wine, then isn't it?"

"It sure is."

He kissed her and headed to the shower while she figured out what to wear.

She spruced up while he was in the shower and redid her makeup and curled her hair.

She finally put on a black halter jumpsuit and some black flip-flop heeled sandals.

She spritzed on the perfume that he liked and then waited for him while he got ready.

Jonathan put on a white dress shirt and some khaki pants, and the loafers he always wore.

They stopped by the bank and deposited the check into the ATM and then headed to the party.

***Dinner Party***

Jennifer laced her fingers through Jonathan's as they walked up the pathway to the house.

This had to be the biggest house she had ever seen, save her father's.

Jonathan rang the doorbell and then a few seconds later, the door opened.

"Hi, come on in!"

They were ushered inside.

"Darling, this is Drew Kendall, he's a businessman I played golf with today, and the one that signed a deal with me. And that is James Monroe, and that is Tim Hawkins. Everyone, this is my beautiful wife, Jennifer".

"Hi".

All the wives introduced themselves and then everyone sat down.

"We brought a bottle of Merlot".

"Wonderful! Well, we have a full bar, so feel free to grab whatever you want".

"Wine, darling?"

"Please".

Jonathan fixed her a white zinfandel, and then grabbed a beer for himself.

Before long, all the men went outside to smoke a cigar while the women stayed inside.

"So, how long have you and Jonathan been married?"

"Almost 3 months".

"Oh my gosh, you two are still newlyweds".

"Yes, we are".

"Where did you meet Jonathan?"

"I am a journalist, and I was working in New York. I was in a bar one night, having a drink because my story had fallen through, and Jonathan just happened to be in there, and saw me and we had a drink. And then a couple of weeks later he tracked me down at the paper, and we started talking and then 5 months later, he proposed and I said yes".

"How sweet. Did you two get married in Los Angeles?"

"No, but we thought about it. My father insisted on calling most of the shots since he was paying for it. So, he made us have it at his estate in Maryland, where I'm from. We have already decided that at some point we are having a wedding do-over, and doing things the way we want to".

"What would you change?"

"Well, I had a more modern wedding in mind. My father insisted on a more traditional wedding".

The ladies continued chatting and Jennifer realized she felt so comfortable with them.

"Are you and Jonathan planning on having children?"

"We haven't thought about it, other than the fact that we can't afford it right now".

The men came back inside and joined them, and everyone sat down for dinner.

After dinner, they decided to play a few games. They split up into two teams and everyone was impressed with Jennifer's knowledge of historical events.

After a very fun evening, Jonathan and Jennifer decided to head home.

"It was lovely to meet all of you. Thank you for having us".

"It was lovely to meet you as well. I'm sure we'll do this again".

***Jennifer and Jonathan's apartment***

Jennifer and Jonathan came in and immediately changed for bed.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Spend the day with you. We haven't had a day to ourselves since our honeymoon".

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"What a great idea. How do you want to spend it?"

She chuckled.

"I can think of at least one thing I want us to do, maybe two".

***Sunday***

Jennifer and Jonathan were lying on the couch, under a blanket. They were watching a movie and napping on and off.

They decided to watch a movie that was absolutely stupid and began to make fun of it as soon as it started.

Halfway through, the phone rang.

Jonathan reached behind him and got it.

"Hello? Oh, I see….where are you? Sure, I'll be right there".

He hung up and started to get up.

"Nikki's car won't start. I'm going to go give her a jump. I'll be right back".

Jennifer wasn't happy, but she wasn't mad. In the interest of not starting an argument, she chose to not say what she was thinking.

He went and changed clothes and then came and kissed Jennifer.

"I'll be right back, I swear".

He was out the door in a flash.

Jennifer got up and worked on her novel for a bit, while he was gone. When he came back, she was sitting in the same spot, working on her computer.

"Hey".

"Hey".

"How did the movie end?"

"I have no idea".

"What are you doing?"

"Working".

"I thought we said today was for us".

"We did. And it was. Until it wasn't".

"Jennifer, try to understand".

"Understand what? That you'd rather spend time with her than you would with me?"

"You know that's not true!"

"No, I don't, actually. If it were the case, you would have stayed here. But you didn't".

Jennifer closed her computer and set it on the end table and then headed to the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she came out and went to the kitchen to start dinner.

Jonathan sat down on the couch and watched tv for a bit.

About 20 minutes later, she put two plates on the table.

"Dinner's ready".

They sat down and started to eat.

"What is this?"

"Well, you and I were supposed to go grocery shopping but we didn't, because you went to play knight and shining armor for Nikki. So, this was the best I could do. Ramen noodles with a homemade spaghetti sauce".

"Jennifer, if you wanted to go to the store, all you had to do was say so. I could have dropped you off, gone to help Nikki, and then come back and picked you up. I'm not a mind reader".

"Obviously! I didn't want to go to the store, Jonathan. I wanted us to go".

"Well, let's go now".

"And waste this perfectly good dinner? No thank you".

"Jennifer, come on. This is insane".

Jennifer finished her dinner in silence, and then did the dishes.

After she was done, she went to the bedroom and closed the door. Jonathan sighed and stayed in the living room for a bit, and then finally joined her in bed a few hours later.

"If you have something to say to me, just say it. You don't have to pull stunts like this to get my attention".

"Seems to me I could say the same thing to you".

"Is that really what you think? That I was so unhappy here with you all day that I made up the fact that Nikki needed my help and went to help her just to make you jealous?"

"No. I think she is purposely putting herself in situations just to make me jealous, to get your attention off of me and onto her".

"I don't follow".

Jennifer sighed.

"When you got to Nikki, was her tire flat?"

"Yes it was".

"Was her battery dead?"

"Yes, it was".

"Was it fixable?"

"Yes, the tire pumped up just fine, and eventually the battery restarted".

"Exactly. I bet you anything she let the air out of her own tire and maybe even left the lights on just so she would need you to rescue her".

"Women actually do that?"

"Some. Not the classy ones".

"Why would she do that?"

"So that she would have a reason to talk to you. And you played right into her hands, darling".


	6. Chapter 6

***The Next Day***

Jennifer and Jonathan had a quiet morning, and got ready for work without a whole lot of interaction.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Want to have lunch today? I'll take you anywhere you want to go".

She nodded.

"Pick me up at 11:45".

"I love you, more than anyone in the whole world".

"I love you too".

They shared a few kisses and then walked out the door.

Just before he dropped her off, he grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.

"I promise you, tonight, we'll go grocery shopping and washer/dryer shopping, just as soon as I get home".

"I'll make us a list, so we won't spend all of our time at the market".

"I love you, have a good day".

"I love you too".

She kissed him and then got out of the car and headed into the office.

She had a light day, so she was able to work on her novel for a good portion of the morning without any interruptions.

Around 11:30, she was working when the phone rang.

"Hello, this is Jennifer Edwards".

"Hi gorgeous".

"Hi darling. I'll be right out".

"No, don't. The board called an emergency meeting to vote on a few things. There's no way we will be out of this meeting before 3".

"Oh, I see".

"I'm sorry, baby. I tell you what-we'll go to dinner at Il Ristorante, and we'll even get dessert".

"Jonathan, a meal for two people there will cost at least $300."

"You're worth it, I promise".

"I love you, it's fine."

"What if I send you lunch from somewhere?"

"That would be nice. How about the Harvest salad with lemon-pecan dressing from Montague's? And a sweet tea".

"You got it. I'm really sorry, baby. I love you".

"I love you too. Hope the meeting goes well".

She blew him a kiss and hung up, and then got back to work.

She worked the rest of the day and finally felt like her novel was complete.

She printed the whole thing, and then called her freelance editor.

"Marcia? It's Jennifer Hart. I have something to submit to you".

***Later that Night***

Jonathan had finally gotten home around 6, and they had gone grocery shopping like they agreed.

They put off shopping for a washer and dryer till another day.

Jonathan helped her carry all the groceries in, and they put them away together, stealing kisses here and there in the tight kitchen.

"How did your big meeting go?"

"Not well. The board is still all upset over the profits that Elliott's company is making on my design, and even though I kept telling them about the profits that our new design was making, they didn't want to see that. So, it was contentious at best".

"I'm sorry, darling."

"Yeah, me too".

She embraced him and hugged him for a moment.

They spent a quiet evening together and just loved on each other while they watched tv.

"Darling, what do you say we take a long weekend sometime, and get away? Just the two of us".

"Where do you want to go?"

"Where can we afford to go?"

"Right here".

"Ha ha".

She reached up and turned out the light, as he stretched out next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Baby, I promise you, when my company takes off, we will be able to purchase anything and go anywhere your gorgeous little heart desires."

"I believe you".

"And we are going to get the biggest house, with the best security, and you can decorate it however you want".

"I like the sound of that".

She lightly kissed his neck while he stroked her hair.

"Darling, if you could plan the perfect weekend for us, what would you plan?"

"Oh, I don't know. Something we both like to do, I suppose. Why, what would you pick?"

"Well, that depends. If I'm really craving some alone time with you, I would book us a room at a sleazy, out of the way motel, where I am sure that nobody would ever think to look for us, and we could spend the entire weekend there making love and just being with each other. But if this is a real trip, and I'm trying to make it really memorable and special, then I would pick somewhere that neither of us has ever been, and I would research the hell out of it and find out the best restaurants, hotels, places to sightsee, things like that, and make sure we hit all of them".

He kissed her cheek as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I love it when you do your research".

"Oh yes. Darling, why don't you use your research skills and tell me what I'm thinking about right now?"

He rolled on top of her and pressed his lips against hers, enveloping her into a very passionate kiss.

"My research tells me that we are thinking the same thing".

"What a coincidence".

He chuckled as he kissed her again.

Three hours later, they were finally sated and fell asleep in each other's arms.

***The Next Morning***

Jonathan and Jennifer woke up early and made love again before they had to get up and get ready for work.

They drove to her office so he could drop her off.

"I love you, I'll see you tonight. Have a good day".

"I love you too".

She kissed him several times, and then headed inside.

She sat down at her desk and immediately got to work.

About an hour later, her phone rang.

"Hello, this is Jennifer Hart".

"Jennifer, it's Marcia. Are you busy?"

"Not at all."

"I just finished your novel, and I want to publish it, right away. So, I called a friend of mine who publishes books, and pitched it to him, and sent him a couple of chapters. He wants to send you on a three-week book tour".

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am. I predict this book will be on the bestseller's list".

"Oh my gosh. I didn't think it was going to be that good, as it's only my first one".

"There's just a few things we should do. You said this book was about a love triangle between two sisters and the man they are both in love with, and that's a great description. But we need to expand upon it, for the book jacket. We also need to do a photo shoot for the book jacket, and either design or choose some art work for the cover. And your working title is Harvest Moon. However, there is a copyright issue with that title, so what do you say to changing the title to Sapphire Moon?"

"I love it".

"Ok, so I tell you what. I'll set everything up. You will need to either quit the paper or turn in a leave of absence form, so that you are available to go on the book tour. And I'll make sure your check for your advance is delivered to you at the newspaper within the hour".

"Ok, thank you".

Jennifer hung up, and sat and processed everything for a minute.

True to her word, her check was delivered just like Marcia said it would be, in under an hour.

She opened it and stared at it. She tried to contemplate how many washer and dryers she and Jonathan could purchase with this check. She stopped counting at 20.

She typed her resignation letter, and went and turned it in and then packed her desk.

Just before she headed home, she picked up the phone and called Jonathan.

"Hello, Hart Industries".

"Jonathan Hart, please. This is Jennifer".

"I'm sorry, he's on a conference call right now. Can I take a message?"

"Yes. Tell him that I have a surprise for him, and that I'll meet him at Cambria at 6 p.m.".

"Yes ma'am".

"Thank you".

She hung up, said her goodbyes to her coworkers, and then headed home.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan was stuck in an endless meeting with his legal team.

"I don't care what he says. Somehow, he is getting our designs and manufacturing them before we can. This has to stop!"

"Well, if I may be frank, perhaps if your wife would stop fraternizing with him, the designs would stay with us".

"I beg your pardon! My wife has never and would never steal from this company and give it to him".

"Jonathan-"

"And furthermore, she's only seen Elliott twice since he started poaching our designs, and one of those times, the designs were here with me at the office. My wife is NOT the mole here!"

"Ok, ok. It was just a suggestion. Mole or not, she should probably keep her distance till we get this all figured out".

"Who my wife does or doesn't see is none of anyone's business".

Jonathan had never used such a firm tone with anyone before in his life.

He was just about to end this meeting when there was a knock at the door.

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was filing patents on all of these upcoming products and each time I would file it, I would get a message that told me there was already a patent pending. So, I did some digging. Manning Enterprises put in for patents on all 6 of these products 4 weeks ago".

"What?! That's impossible! We didn't finalize the design on at least two of those until 2 weeks ago".

"I have no idea how he's done it, sir. But the files are there, and he filed for the patents first".

"Damnit! Ok, Stanley, I want you to pull together a design team. I want at least 2 engineers, as well. We are going to figure out a way to best him, once and for all".

***Jennifer***

Jennifer sat at the restaurant till 7:30, and then finally accepted the fact that Jonathan wasn't coming. She was heartbroken, hurt, and pissed the hell off.

She took a cab home, mentally gearing up for the fight she knew she and Jonathan were about to have.

***Jonathan***

"Gentlemen, it's late. Let's call it a night, huh? We'll get back to work on this first thing in the morning".

"Jonathan, I think it might be a good idea if you have Jennifer come talk to the board of directors, and re-instill some confidence in you. Have her tell them how much she believes in you, and how much she trusts you, and how she hasn't seen Elliott Manning in recent months. It might help smooth this over sooner rather than later".

"I tell you what. I'll run it by her and see what she thinks".

They all headed home, with Jonathan locking the office behind them as they left.

***Jonathan and Jennifer's apartment***

Jonathan came inside and set down his briefcase and his keys.

"Baby, you here?"

No answer.

He went to the bedroom to change clothes, and found Jennifer taking clothes out of her closet.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Packing".

He tried to wrap his arms around her but she wouldn't let him.

"Want to tell me what this is all about?"

"Want to tell me where the hell you've been?"

"At the office."

"And you couldn't bother to call me?"

"I'm sorry, we were busy. Jennifer, what's going on? I've worked late before and you didn't get half this mad".

"You humiliated me! I sat at the restaurant all alone for almost 2 hours, Jonathan! Everyone was looking at me, it was horrible".

"Jennifer-"

"Don't tell me you didn't know you were supposed to be there. And the "I lost track of time" excuse isn't going to hold water this time, either".

"I didn't know you wanted to go eat, I swear! I don't even know what restaurant you were sitting at".

"I was sitting at Cambria. I was there at 6. And yes, you did know because I called your secretary and left a message for you to meet me there, at 6".

"Are you insane? We can't afford that place, not even close!"

"No I'm not insane! And yes, we can afford that place, which is what I was going to tell you tonight at the restaurant".

"Jennifer, let's back up. What are you talking about?"

"I've been working on a novel, and I submitted it to Marcia. She called me today, she wants to publish it. She's got me signed up for a book tour and everything. And she sent over an advance from the publisher. Remember how we were supposed to go buy ourselves a washer and dryer? We could buy 20 of them with this check. So, yeah, we can afford that place, and I just wanted us to have one special night together before I have to go on tour".

"I promise you, I never got the message to meet you at the restaurant. Baby I'm so proud of you. When did you decide to write a novel?"

"I've toyed with the idea for a while, but when I ran into Elliott that day, he suggested that now would be a good time. So, on the days that things were slow at the newspaper, I worked on it".

She noticed that as soon as she said the word Elliott, he made a face.

"Jonathan, don't be like that. He just put the idea in my head, that's all. He had no other involvement in this, I promise".

Before they could continue this conversation, the phone rang.

He reached over and answered it on speaker phone.

"Hello?"

"Jonathan, it's Brody. The Board of Directors wants to meet tomorrow. And they strongly suggested that Jennifer come with you and that she's prepared to explain to them her relationship with Elliott Manning and why she gave him the file on the conductor panel".

Jennifer emphatically shook her head, no.

"We have been all through this. She wasn't responsible for that".

"Jonathan, I think tomorrow's meeting will go a lot smoother for everyone if you prepare yourself and face the reality that she probably lied to you. Chances are, she's been seeing him behind your back and lying about it this whole time".

"Goodnight Brody".

He hung up the phone.

"Thanks a lot. That was a wonderful defense you just put up, of your wife. How could you let him talk about me like that?"

"Come with me tomorrow to the office and we'll straighten it out then".

"No thank you".

"Jennifer, be reasonable. Somehow, Elliott has managed to best us 6 times in a row. I don't know how he's doing it, but he's doing it. And the board is harping all over me and breathing down my neck, and unless we figure out who the mole is, we aren't going to make our profit margin, much less increase them. And my legal team thinks if you come address the board, it will help smooth things over".

"I'm not going to put myself in the hot seat, Jonathan. That's not fair. I haven't done anything".

"Come on Jennifer, I'm in the fight for my life here".

"No, actually, you're in a fight for Hart Industries. There's a big difference. You could walk away from it tomorrow and it wouldn't change your life".

"Yes, you're right. And someday, I might have to do just that. I might have to decide to sell it or let someone else run it. But first, right now, I have to win this deal".

"I can't live like this, Jonathan. When you're home, you're barely present. I call and leave a message for you to meet me for dinner, and you don't show up. Nikki calls and gives you some made up sob story and you can't get out the door fast enough. This isn't what I envisioned when you asked me to marry you".

"What happened to for richer or for poorer?"

"What happened to the person I said that to? I'm not the one that changed, Jonathan. You have. You never used to avoid coming home, or blow me off for lunch dates or dinner dates. Seems like all we do lately is argue".

He walked over to her and embraced her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get your message about the restaurant. And I would never blow you off on purpose, baby. You mean everything to me. And I hate the fact that you think I'm avoiding coming home. I'm not. I'm trying to build our future".

He kissed her forehead.

"I love you, more than anyone or anything else in the world".

She wiped her tears away from her face with the back of her hand.

"I love you too. But I feel like I can't reach you anymore. You're distant, and don't want to make plans with me, or keep them if we do make them. I used to feel like I was the most important thing in your life, and now I feel like I barely make the top 100, while Nikki makes the top 10".

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. I really am. How can I make this up to you?"

"I don't know that you can. I leave on my book tour in a few days and you have to figure out how to save your company".

"Look, why don't we get through your book tour, and while you are on that, I'll do my best to make headway at the office and get things more stabilized, and then you and I are going to take a real vacation, wherever you want to go, just you and me".

"A vacation sounds great. But we have to fix the problems, too. We can't just ignore them".

"You're right. But a vacation is a great start".

Jonathan was trying to make her feel better when the phone rang.

He reached over and hit the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Marcia. Is Jennifer available?"

"Hey, I'm right here".

She reached over and picked up the handset.

"I have your dates and locations for the book tour".

"Oh great. Let me get a pad and a pen".

Jonathan handed her a legal pad and pen.

She wrote down the dates and locations and they talked details for a few minutes, before Jennifer hung up.

She finished packing her suitcase and then set it on the floor out of the way and changed for bed.

Jonathan was laying on the bed when she came out of the bathroom.

"Do you want me to make you dinner?"

"No, that's ok. You're tired. I'll take care of it. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat".

"How about a pizza?"

"That sounds heavenly".

He ordered them some pizza and they climbed into bed to watch tv.

"So, where are you going on your book tour?"

"Up and down the coast for now. Start in San Francisco, then head up to Portland and then Seattle, before coming back down this way. It's 3 weeks, with 3-4 engagements per week".

"You are going to knock it out of the park, I just know it".

Their pizza arrived and they enjoyed it in bed while they watched tv.

Just before they were about to go to bed, the phone rang.

"Who could that be?"

Jonathan reached over and got it.

"Hello?"

"Jonathan, it's Nikki. I'm stranded, and I need some help. I was on a date and he got a little rough and left me here at the restaurant. Can you help me?"

"Hang on one second".

He put the phone down and looked at Jennifer.

"It's Nikki. She says she was on a date and he got rough and left her at the restaurant. She needs us to help her".

Jennifer nodded.

"Tell her yes".

He picked the phone up again.

"Where are you?"

"At Royal Red's down on the beach road".

"I'll be right there".


	7. Chapter 7

***An Hour Later***

Jennifer was still awake when Jonathan came home.

"Hi".

"Hey. Listen, things are a little more intense than she let on. Her date abandoned her, and left her at the restaurant without her purse, or any money. I drove her to her hotel, and they wouldn't let her into her room because she doesn't have any id. I tried to vouch for her, but they wouldn't budge. They said she can file a police report tomorrow and then bring that to the manager and get back in that way, but that means she has nowhere to stay tonight. So, I brought her back here. If you aren't ok with it, then I'll go rent her a hotel room for the night, but I didn't want to do that without talking to you first".

"She can stay here if she wants, or we can get her a room, whatever she wants".

Jonathan went and let her in.

"Hi".

"Hi, I apologize for ambushing you two tonight".

"It's ok. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just embarrassed".

"Did he hurt you at all?"

"He pushed me and shoved me into a wall, but I'm fine".

"Ok, so do you want to stay here, or do you want us to get you a hotel room? It's your call".

"I hate to make you guys pay for a room for me. I can crash on the couch".

"Ok. I have a spare nightgown you can borrow. One minute".

Jennifer went and got her a nightgown and some blankets and pillows.

"This couch folds out into a bed, or you can sleep on it like it is".

"Oh, I'll just sleep on it like it is".

"Alright, well goodnight. Make yourself at home, and let us know if you need anything".

Nikki leaned forward and gave Jennifer a hug.

"I appreciate this, so much".

"You're welcome".

Jennifer retreated to the bedroom while Nikki was in the bathroom changing.

"Darling, I think I'm going to sit up with her for a bit and make sure she's ok. I'll come to bed in a little bit".

"Alright".

Jennifer headed to bed, while Jonathan and Nikki sat up playing cards and talking.

They called it quits about an hour later, and he came to bed.

Jennifer was fast asleep, so he scooted next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Goodnight, I love you".

***The Next Morning***

Jennifer woke up when Jonathan's alarm went off and snuggled closer to him.

"Morning".

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Mmmm hmmm".

He gave her a few light kisses.

"What do you say to breakfast in bed?"

"Who's going to cook it?"

"We both are".

He grabbed her boob as he kissed her neck.

"Ohhhh, that kind of breakfast".

They shared a few kisses.

"Darling, we have company".

"So, we'll be quiet. That will make it all that much hotter".

"We can't. She'll hear us. What if you come home for lunch and we do it then?"

"You got a deal".

Jonathan got up and headed for the shower while Jennifer tiptoed to the kitchen to make coffee.

"Morning".

"Oh, hi. I didn't realize you were awake".

"I made coffee, I hope that's alright".

"It's fine. Thank you".

Jennifer poured herself a cup.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, just fine. You have a very lovely home".

"Thank you. It isn't much, but we like it".

Jonathan came out of the bedroom.

"Morning".

"Morning".

"Nikki, I'm happy to drop you at the police station if you'd like, on my way to the office".

"Sure, that sounds great".

Jonathan kissed Jennifer goodbye and then he and Nikki headed out.

Jonathan was back just before noon.

"Baby, you here?"

"Back here".

She was in the bathroom, brushing her hair.

"Hi".

"Hi gorgeous".

"How long are you home for?"

"I took the whole afternoon off".

"Wonderful".

Jonathan drew the drapes, and made the room really dark and then came into the bathroom.

He quickly picked her up.

"Jonathan! What are you doing?"

"Playing Rhett Butler".

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as he carried her to bed.

In mere minutes, they were both undressed and under the covers. Their lovemaking was passionate, pleasurable, intense, frantic, and hot.

They both did the things that they knew the other liked, and it only intensified their passion.

They made love a couple times and then just held each other.

"How long are you going to be gone on the book tour?"

"Around 3 weeks. But I'm going to ask Marcia if I can come home in between the engagements, or on the weekends".

"Well, hopefully, it will fly by and then when it's over, we can take some time and go somewhere, just the two of us".

"I know. I just hate that I'm going to be in Portland on my birthday".

"We can celebrate your birthday anytime, darling".

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. It's just, I don't want to spend that day with anyone but you".

He kissed her forehead and scratched her back some.

"Why don't we go cook dinner together?"

"Sure, what do you want?"

"We can make lasagna, or we can grill something".

"Ok".

After a romantic dinner, they decided to go catch a movie.

They picked a rather intense, suspenseful thriller.

Jennifer snuggled up to Jonathan the whole time.

When it was over, they walked out, hand in hand towards the exit.

"Darling, I'm going to stop in the bathroom. Here are the keys if you want to go to the car".

"Alright".

Jennifer headed to the car and climbed in.

She was casually looking around the parking lot when she spotted him. Or rather, them.

Nikki was sitting in Elliott's car.

They were chatting and seemed very chummy with each other.

After a few minutes, Nikki pulled something out of her purse, handed it to Elliott, and then got out of the car and headed to her own.

After she was safely inside her car, Elliott drove away, and Nikki pulled out right after him.

Jonathan got back to the car then, and slid into the drivers' seat.

"Darling, you won't believe what I just saw".

"What?"

"Elliott and Nikki were in a car together, again, right over there in the parking lot."

"You must be mistaken. Nikki wouldn't ever come to this part of town. She doesn't know her way around Los Angeles that well yet."

"That doesn't mean she didn't come over here, Jonathan. I know it was her. They were talking, and then she pulled something out of her purse and handed it to him, and then they shared a hug and then she got out and got in her car and he drove off and she drove off after him".

"What do you think she gave him?"

"Looked like a report or a set of papers or a large envelope or something".

"Well, if it was Nikki, what on earth would she be doing with Elliott?"

"They've been together before, Jonathan. I saw them. He's a businessman. And she is here, representing her father's company. Maybe he's trying to get a deal going".

"If that's the case, she isn't the one at her father's company he should speak with. He should speak with the man her father left the company to, Alexander Constantine".

They drove home and changed for bed. As soon as Jennifer realized that Jonathan was asleep, she turned the ringer off on the phone, curled up next to him, and fell asleep herself.

***The Next Day***

Jonathan woke up when his alarm went off, and kissed Jennifer and then headed for the shower. She got up and made coffee and then took him a mug.

Just before he was about to leave for work, he noticed the light blinking on the answering machine.

He listened to the messages and realized that of the 12, 8 were from Nikki.

"Darling, is there something wrong the phone?"

"Not that I know of. I turned the ringer off last night, but it was working fine before that".

"Why would you turn the ringer off?"

"Because. You and I were spending time together and I didn't want Nikki to call and interrupt".

"Well, as it turns out, she did need us. Her car broke down and she's been sitting on the side of the road for hours".

"She should have called Elliott".

"Jennifer, that's not fair. Plus, I run a company. What if they needed me?"

"They can call you around the clock for the next 3 weeks, Jonathan. Sue me for wanting one night with my husband interruption free".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"Have a good day. I love you".

Before he could say anything else, she headed to take a shower.

***Later that afternoon***

Jennifer decided to go shopping and pick up last-minute incidentals for her book tour.

She was coming out of a store when she heard her name being called.

"Jennifer?"

She turned around and saw Nikki coming after her.

"Hello, Nikki", she said coolly.

"Hi, I didn't expect to see you out and about".

"I don't understand what you mean".

"I thought you would be at work".

"I don't work at the paper anymore, Nikki. I wrote a book and it's being published".

"How wonderful! Congratulations".

"Thank you. Well, it was nice seeing you, but I must go".

"Jennifer, is something wrong? You seem like you are bothered by the fact that we ran into each other".

"I'm not sure what conversation you think we are having. I said it was nice to see you, what did you hear?"

"Jennifer, what's this really all about?"

"It's really about you and your designs on my husband".

"You married the most eligible bachelor in the city, Jennifer. Every woman wants him".

"We aren't talking about the rest of the women in the city, Nikki. We are talking about you".

"Jennifer-"

"Flowers. Lunches. Groceries. Calling him to come rescue you at all hours of the night."

Nikki sighed.

"Tell me something. Do you get your passport stamped every time you leave the land of the obvious?"

"You're right. I do want him. I may not have been in love with him way back when, but I am now. And just to let you know, I usually get what I want".

"So, do I, and I'm not going down without a fight where he's concerned!"

"Oh, please. Jonathan and I have something you don't have with him. History. Years of history. And we also have a passion for each other, that not even Romeo and Juliet could match".

"You might have a longer history with him than I do. But what you don't have is love. He loves me, and only me. As I recall, your engagement to him ended because he didn't love you. And trust me, he and I have more than enough passion to send you flying to the Moon!"

"Just give it time, and he will come to his senses. He will see that it's me he loves".

"I don't think so. You and I are completely different. You see, when it came to you and Jonathan, you settled for what you had with him. And what you had was nothing more than friendship. More than that, he respected his friendship with your father more than anything. But me, I married him. I did what you were afraid to even attempt. Maybe way back when if you had stood your ground you could have held onto him, but instead you let him go. Now, he has me, and you don't even have your self-respect".

"I have plenty of self-respect, thank you".

"Tell me something- Is it just my husband that you throw yourself at, or do you throw yourself at all men?"

"Keep up this bitchy attitude, Jennifer. Jonathan's going to get really tired of coming home to your frosty ego, and when he does, mark my words, he's going to come running back right into my arms".

Jennifer reached out and slapped Nikki right across the face.

"I'm telling you for the last time, leave my husband and me alone. No more flowers, groceries, lunches, late night rescues. It all ends now. Consider whatever friendship you thought you had with my husband to be over and done with. And the next time you have car trouble, figure out how to deal with it yourself."

Jennifer turned and headed down the block, while Nikki stayed there, stunned.

***Later that Night***

"You had no right to slap her, Jennifer. And it doesn't even sound like she deserved it".

"Yes, I did. You married me, Jonathan. Not her. And I'm quite tired of her interference into our lives".

"She isn't interfering!"

"Oh please! She told me she wanted you, that she just knew it would be a matter of time before you came running back to her. That's definitely interfering".

"Jennifer, this is ridiculous. Nikki wouldn't say those things to you. She isn't mean spirited like you are suggesting."

"Jonathan, either you believe me and you support me in this, or we have a serious problem".

"I support you in everything, but not this. She doesn't behave the way you are telling me, not at all."

"So you don't believe me at all?"

"Not about this, no, I don't".

"I think you should stay at Max's tonight".

"Fine".

Jonathan grabbed his keys and headed out the door, while Jennifer headed for the bedroom.

Once she knew he wasn't coming back, she locked the door behind him, turned out all the lights and climbed into bed.

As much as she tried to resist it, the tears began to fall.

She cried herself to sleep, wondering when her husband had stopped trusting her. Or if he had ever even tried.

***Max's***

Jonathan rang the doorbell and Max let him in.

"Hey Mr. H. Come on in. Make yourself at home".

"Thanks Max".

"Where's Mrs. H.?"

"At home. She's mad at me".

"Spill it, Mr. H."

Jonathan told him everything. Max listened very patiently.

"Mr. H., suppose for a second that the shoe was on the other foot. Would you want Elliott calling Jennifer all the time?"

"No, I wouldn't".

"And if you came home and told her what Elliott said, you would want her to trust you, would you not?"

"Yeah, I would".

"Ok. So, give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Nikki isn't rude and nasty to you, but that doesn't mean she wasn't when she was with Jennifer. Mrs. H. loves you, and she shouldn't have to stand by and watch some other woman come after you. That ain't right".

"Nikki and I are just friends, Max. Nothing more. That ship sailed on a long time ago, way before Jennifer and I ever even knew each other".

"You know that, and I know that. And I would venture to guess Mrs. H. knows that deep down. But she wants you to prove it to her, by not spending time with Nikki. And when she told you what happened, instead of saying ok, sure, whatever you want, you said no, Nikki and I are friends and you have to deal with it. Frankly, you're lucky she didn't kick you all the way out".

Jonathan took a swig of his beer.

"So, I screwed up. How do I fix it?"

"You'll have to go to her and apologize sincerely, for starters".

"I hope she'll listen to me".


	8. Chapter 8

***The Next Morning***

Jennifer woke up and finished packing her suitcase. She was leaving on her book tour today, for the first leg.

She was glad her editor had rented her a car so she could drive up and down the coast for this part, since all the stops were less than 3 hours apart.

She hadn't heard from Jonathan since he had gone to Max's the night before.

She went and picked up the car, and then came back to the apartment to get her bags.

She left Jonathan a note.

_I love you, and I hope we can work this out when I get back on Tuesday. Here's my itinerary if you need me. I know I don't say it often, but I believe in you and I am so proud to be your wife. Jennifer_

Jennifer called Max.

"Hello?"

"Max? It's Jennifer."

"Hey. You just missed Mr. H."

"Oh, that's ok. I'm headed out on my book tour, and I'll be back on Tuesday. Can you kind of look after him? I put fresh sheets on the bed, and stocked the fridge with his favorite foods, and left him my itinerary on the counter, along with the numbers to my hotels".

"You got it, Mrs. H. If I may, how are you getting to your book tour?"

"My editor rented me a car. I'm paying for gas though. Jonathan will probably freak out when he finds out how much I'll be spending, but you only live once".

"Smart move, Mrs. H. Have fun on your book tour, I can't wait to hear all about it".

"Thank you, Max. And thank you for last night. I appreciate it".

"Anytime".

She hung up and carried her bags to the car and headed out.

***Jonathan***

Jonathan was in his office, working, when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. H. Did you apologize to Mrs. H. yet?"

"Not yet, Max. I was planning on taking her to dinner tonight".

"No dice, Mr. H. She just left on her book tour."

"Damnit! I thought that was tomorrow".

"She said to tell you she left you a note on the counter".

"Ok, I'll check it when I get home."

"What do you say to me and you and the guys getting together at my house for poker tonight?"

"Not tonight, Max. How about tomorrow night, or the next one?"

"Tomorrow night's no good. The next night works. I'll set it up".

"Thanks, Max".

***Jennifer***

Jennifer arrived at her book signing. The place was moderately crowded, and she was pleased to hear they had pre-sold a lot of copies.

Right on cue, she was introduced to the crowd, and began to give them a synopsis of the book.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Hart, otherwise known as Jennifer Edwards Hart. I have been a professional journalist for many years and now I've written my first novel. _Sapphire Moon_ is a love story, about two people who really and truly only met because of fate. You have these two sisters, who couldn't be more opposite. And they are in love with the same man, but they don't realize it. One of them is loving him up close and personal, and the other is loving him from afar. And then they start to have issues, and they are questioning their relationship, and you have to wonder, is it the universe who is causing them issues? Has their relationship run its' course and just derailed due to time, or was it the sister? And then you realize that because both of them made one teeny tiny decision, their paths crossed, causing them to meet. Once they met, they fell in love practically from the start, and then they uprooted both of their lives to be together, fighting all the obstacles that life threw at them along the way. What they gained was a lifetime of happiness, all because of a choice they both willingly made, and continued to make every day thereafter. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it as well".

Everyone clapped for her.

"If you have read it already and have some questions, we are going to do a short q and a".

Several people asked their questions, and Jennifer was more than happy to answer them.

After the short q and a, she sat down and began autographing things for people. She tried her best to take a few minutes with each person and to thank them from coming out.

By the time it was over, she had been there 4 hours and she was exhausted.

She barely piled herself into her rented Jeep and somehow managed to get to the hotel.

A hot bath, room service, and climbing into bed were on her agenda.

As she walked past the front desk, the desk attendant called her name.

"Mrs. Hart- you have a phone message here. And you had a delivery earlier, that we sent up to your room".

"Thank you".

She took the message, and headed to the elevator.

She was waiting for the elevator when she looked at the message.

_Call your husband. _

She came into her room and kicked her heels off. On her nightstand next to her bed was a gorgeous bouquet of pink and white roses. She dug for the card as she unbuttoned her blouse.

_I love you and I'm so proud of you. Jonathan_.

She immediately drew a bath and got undressed.

She pulled the phone as far as she could into the bathroom, and sank into the bathtub before she dialed Jonathan's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi".

"Hey. How was night one?"

"Not bad. Not completely what I expected, but not bad".

"What did you expect?"

"Just that I would be sitting at a table and signing the books. And I was very overdressed. But instead, they had me give a synopsis of it, and answer questions from the audience, and then sign. And it took me back to when I was in high school and I waited in line 5 hours one day to meet E. B. White, you know the writer who wrote _Charlotte's_ _Web_? After all that, I wasn't even allowed to say two words to him, so I vowed that no matter what, I am not going to be like that on this tour. If they wait, I'm at least going to let them spend a few minutes with me. It took a couple hours to get through everyone in line, but it was worth it".

"What do you mean you were overdressed?"

"Well, I had on a pair of black, wide legged pants, a leopard print top, and some black stiletto heels. And all the people there to see me were in jeans and tennis shoes."

"Well, I'm glad it went well. I hate that I couldn't make it to be there with you tonight".

"Oh, that's alright. You can be with me when I sign books in Los Angeles".

"Jennifer, I've been thinking about things and I just want to tell you, I'm sorry. I haven't ever known Nikki to be ugly and nasty, but that doesn't mean she wasn't ugly and nasty to you. And I don't care what she says about wanting to be with me, I only want to be with you, and that's never going to change. I'm sorry I didn't believe you".

"Thank you. I'm sorry we fought too. I hate fighting with you more than anything in the world. And I didn't really want you to go to Max's, but I knew if you stayed, we would keep fighting".

"I'm glad you sent me to Max's. He and I had a heartfelt chat and he helped me realize how unfair I was being".

"Where do you stand on your friendship with Nikki?"

"From now on, I'm only going to see her with you present".

"I can live with that, for now. I'm ready for her to go back to Italy, though".

They chatted till her bath was over and then she got out and dried off.

"Ok are you still there?"

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

"I was drying off. When I called you, I had just sunk into a hot bath".

"Well-deserved, I'm sure".

"Darling, in case Max didn't tell you, I made sure that your favorite snacks were stocked in the fridge. And I put fresh sheets on the bed and tucked the sheet under, just like you like it".

"You did all that for me?"

"Of course, I did. I love you, you're my husband".

"Four days, and then we'll be reunited".

"Four days".

***Four days later***

Jennifer finished her book signing and headed straight home. She didn't care that she wouldn't arrive till midnight, she wanted to sleep in her own bed next to her husband. Knowing that he was only 3 hours away made it an easy decision.

She called the house before she left, and told him she was coming home.

"I'll wait up for you".

"Great. I love you".

"I love you too".

She had an easy drive and listened to the radio as she drove along.

She pulled up into the parking lot and parked right next to their usual spot, and grabbed her suitcases and started carrying them towards the door.

Jonathan came out and helped her.

"Hi gorgeous".

"Hi".

She set her bags down and hugged him.

"I missed you".

"I missed you too".

She gave him a few kisses and then he helped her carry her bags inside.

She quickly changed before they climbed into bed.

"When do you have to go away again?"

"Today is Wednesday. I don't have to leave again till Sunday".

"Perfect".

They snuggled up and held each other for a moment.

She told him all about her book signing and scratched his arms while she did.

"Sounds like you really enjoyed it".

"Once I got over my nerves, yes. But I really missed you".

"I missed you more".

He rolled on top of her and made love to her a couple of times, before they fell asleep together.

***Two Weeks Later***

Jennifer was now a week away from being finished with her book tour. She was enjoying it, but she was also ready for it to end. Tonight's event was in Los Angeles, and she was excited because Jonathan and Max were coming to the signing.

She was at home, getting ready when she heard the doorbell ring.

She went to get it, and found Elliott on the other side.

"Hi, what are you doing here?"

"Just came by to see you. I hear you're a famous novelist now".

"I see. Well, Jonathan isn't home, so I can't let you in. Thanks for stopping by".

"Come on, Jenny. Don't be like that".

"Elliott, I don't have time for this."

"I am really proud of you, you know. You deserve all the success. You're a great writer. You know me, Jenny. You know I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers when I kissed you".

"I thought I did. But whether I did or didn't, you know me better than that, at least you should have known better than to pull a stunt like that. And my name is Jennifer".

"A stunt? Jennifer, you and I were great together. If you can't see that, then this guy Jonathan has warped your brain more than I thought".

"Ok, that's enough. It's time for you to go, Elliott. Thanks for stopping by".

He sighed and walked towards the steps. He turned back towards her.

"Congratulations again, you deserve all the success".

"Thank you".

She closed the door behind him and locked it, and then headed to the bedroom and changed necklaces.

After making sure she had everything in her purse, she headed to the bookstore to meet Jonathan.

***Pages***

Jennifer pulled up and parked and found Jonathan waiting on her.

"Hi gorgeous".

"Hi".

"How much longer do you get this rental?"

"Not sure. Marcia rented it for me, so probably through the end of the tour. I kind of like having a convertible".

She climbed out of the car and kissed him.

"Like my outfit?"

She did a spin for him.

"Very nice".

She had put on black wide-legged pants, a black shimmery blouse and red stilettos.

They shared a few kisses and then she put her hands on his chest.

"Darling, I have to tell you something. Elliott stopped by the apartment about an hour ago, and told me he was there to congratulate me on the book. And he was confused by why I wouldn't let him in the apartment, and we talked about the incident a few weeks ago when he kissed me, and then he left. So, if he shows up here tonight, feel free to lay one on me right in front of him".

"Lay one on you? I'd rather beat three or four into him".

"I know, but that would be counterproductive darling. I'd rather kill him with kindness and let him see that you make me immeasurably happy".

"You're right. But if he makes a wise crack, all bets are off".

"it's a deal. Just promise me you'll take him outside before you punch him?"

"I promise".

She leaned up and kissed him and then they headed inside.

The night was an exciting whirlwind for Jennifer, and she had a good turnout. All of her and Jonathan's friends came by and stood in line to talk to her and get an autographed copy of her book.

"We are so proud of you!"

"Thank you, that means a lot".

"I read this book in a day. I couldn't put it down!"

"I love that! Thank you".

"I tell you what. After this is over, let's all go back to our house for the after party".

"Sure, that sounds fun".

Max came over and hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Mrs. H., you put the pen to the paper very nicely. I'm proud of you".

"Thanks Max! I'm so glad you made it".

She stood up and kissed his cheek.

After 4 hours, everyone was tired and ready to go, and Jennifer had signed so many books she thought her arm was going to fall off.

She and Jonathan headed to the Kendall's for the after party.

"How about a glass of wine?"

"I would love it".

Jonathan and Jennifer shared an oversized chair and they all sat around chatting for a bit.

"So, Jennifer, where did you get the idea for this book?"

"I've been toying with it for a while. The idea for the characters came to me in a dream one night, years ago. And the story just sort of wrote itself".

"Any plans for a sequel?"

"Possibly".

Jennifer and Jonathan stayed till almost 11, and then headed home.

"Thanks again for coming tonight, I really appreciate it. And thanks for having us over afterwards".

"No problem. We love you guys!"

"We love y'all too".

They headed home, hand in hand.

***The Next Day***

Jennifer was running errands and picking up a few things in town, when she decided to grab some lunch at a little café not too far from their house.

She sat outside in the sunshine, enjoying her meal for about an hour, and then got up and headed back home.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan was in a super stressful meeting with no end in sight.

"Look, we can't put something on the market that is identical to another product out there. We will be charged with stealing, and it's just not right".

"There cannot be another product identical to these ones out there! I invented them myself!"

"I'm sorry, but there are identical products. And they are being manufactured and sold by Manning Enterprises".

"Fine. Then call a meeting with the head of Manning Enterprises. We'll ask him to show his plans and sketches for the products".

"Fine. I'll be in touch about when the meeting is".

"Thank you".


	9. Chapter 9

Jennifer had dinner almost made when Jonathan got home.

"Baby?"

"In here".

"Hi gorgeous".

"Hi". She gave him several kisses.

"How were things at the office?"

"Oh, the usual."

"Sounds thrilling. Dinner is almost ready".

"What are we having?"

"Taco salads".

"Smells great".

"Thank you".

They had a lovely dinner, and then decided to watch a movie together in bed.

"What did you do today?"

"Well, I took care of you. I took your dry cleaning and dropped it off, and then I went and paid the bills, and then I had lunch at a café and then I went to the grocery store and then I came home and started on dinner".

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Jennifer leaned over and picked up a magazine and started looking at it.

Jonathan was looking over her shoulder.

"Darling, do you see how this lady is wearing this lovely lingerie?"

"Yes, I do".

"Do you have anything like that?"

"No, I don't. And for the record, that looks totally uncomfortable".

"What? And here I was, about to buy that for you".

She turned to look at him.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. Why not?"

"First of all, men buying women lingerie isn't a gift for the woman. It's a gift the man bought for himself".

"Darling, look at all these women. Look how happy they are".

"Of course, they're happy! If you paid me $20,000 to sit around all day in my underwear, I promise you, you wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off my face with a cannon".

Jonathan chuckled.

"I see your point".

"If you want me to dress up for you, get something soft, like cotton, or silk. Not something rigid and uncomfortable. The more comfortable it is, the more I will want to put it on for you".

"Ahhh…Did I ever tell you that you are incredibly intelligent?"

"Yes, you have mentioned that once or twice".

She found another magazine article that really interested her.

She was laughing softly and really interested in it.

"What is it?"

"This article is comprised of a bunch of people anonymously spilling their deepest secrets, like how they got revenge on their ex, or how they got back at a roommate. This one says she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, so she put hot sauce in his underwear and rubbing alcohol in his contact solution".

"Why not go all the way and just set him on fire?"

She smirked at him.

"Darling, if you were ever to cheat on me, I promise to only do one of these things, not both".

"Oh, very funny".

She put the magazine away and turned out the light on her side of the bed. She snuggled up to him and pulled the covers up around her.

A few minutes later, she was fast asleep on his shoulder.

***A Week Later***

Jennifer was at the apartment, waiting on Jonathan to get home.

They had briefly talked about going to dinner, but hadn't made any concrete plans.

She heard him coming in the door, and poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Hi handsome".

"Hi gorgeous".

He gave her a few kisses and hugged her for a few minutes.

"I missed you today".

"I missed you too".

"You still feel like going out to eat?"

"Yeah, but let's go somewhere private and secluded".

"I love that idea".

They both got ready and then headed out to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just off the Pacific Coast highway.

It was the best seafood Jennifer had ever had.

They decided to stay there a little while longer and listen to the band that was playing.

"Darling, have you….spoken to Nikki since she and I ran into each other?"

"Yes, on the phone. I asked her about her relationship with Elliott and she told me she had never met him".

"And what do you think?"

"Well, if she says she's never met him, then she's never met him. Have you considered the fact that you maybe saw people who look like them?"

"No, I haven't. Because I know I saw them, and I know what they look like".

"Jennifer, I'm not saying you were intentionally trying to mislead me. I'm saying that she is very smart and if she says she has never met Elliott, then I'm inclined to believe her. On the other hand, you are also very intelligent, so if you say you saw them, then I'm inclined to believe you as well".

"Not taking sides is just as bad as taking the wrong side, Jonathan".

"Jennifer, I wasn't there. I didn't see what you saw. I trust that you did. Nikki hasn't ever lied to me either, so, no, I'm not taking sides. If she wants to do business with him, she's a grown woman. She has the right to do business with anyone she wants".

"I'm not saying she doesn't. But I do think it's strange that both of our exes are all of a sudden teaming up at the exact moment you are having business struggles".

"Do you want me to just shut the company down and walk away from it? Is that what you want?"

"No, of course not. I love the passion that you have for your company. I would never ask you to walk away. I just think we should both be more careful when it comes to our exes. We're married now, we have to put boundaries up".

"Darling, look at this from another angle. Nikki called when she had car trouble. Nikki called us when she was on a date and he abandoned her and she had nowhere to stay for the night. Nikki didn't call just to tell me she loved me or wanted me back, she called when she was out of options. So, let's pretend that you were the one who was having car trouble. Or the one that somehow got mistreated and had nowhere to go. I would want whomever you called for help to help you, which is why I went to help Nikki. You are the one I love, not her".

"I know that. My issue is, she either doesn't know it, or as I suspect, she doesn't respect it".

"And I'm telling you, I can't do anything about that".

Jennifer was quiet the rest of the night. They stayed there about an hour and then headed home.

Jennifer changed into her pajamas and then climbed into bed.

Jonathan came and joined her a few minutes later.

"When do you leave again for the tour?"

"Next week, I have two dates-one in San Diego, and one in Fresno. And then I'll be done".

He stretched out next to her.

"Well, I know you'll be glad to have all of this behind you".

"I don't know. I mean, I kind of liked it, but I did hate being away from you all those days in a row".

She reached up and turned out the light.

"However, there is one thing I want to do when the tour is over".

"What's that?"

"I want us to buy a second car for me to drive every day. I've gotten quite accustomed to having a car of my own, and if we got a dependable one, it wouldn't have to be too expensive".

"We can definitely find you something".

He kissed her cheek as she scratched his arm.

"One day, baby, you and I will be able to afford everything we could ever want and then some".

"I'm married to you, Jonathan. That's more than enough".

***The Next Day***

Jonathan was at the office, meeting with his legal team.

"For the last time, I have no idea how the designs for my products got into Manning's hands. I certainly didn't give them to him!"

"Well, somehow they did, and you are going to have to figure out how that happened. This cannot go on, Jonathan. He is swiping deals out from under us left and right".

"Fine. I'll do some investigating".

"Jonathan, I hope for your sake you uncover something. The board is getting antsy and they are going to be demanding answers pretty soon".

After everyone left his office, he began making some notes.

After about an hour, he was more frustrated than when he began, so he gathered his briefcase and his keys and headed home.

***Jennifer and Jonathan's Apartment***

Jennifer was in the kitchen when Jonathan came in.

"Hi".

"Hi darling".

She leaned up and kissed him.

"Dinner's almost ready".

"Great. I'm going to grab a shower".

He squeezed past her, grabbed a beer and then kissed her neck before heading to the shower.

She plated their meals and set the table, and waited for him.

He came out about 15 minutes later, in fresh pajamas and grabbed another beer before sitting at the table with her.

"Want to talk about it?"

"The board is breathing down my neck about how Elliott keeps getting our designs for new products. If I don't figure out his source, I'm afraid they will do something drastic".

"How do you think he's getting the designs?"

"I have no idea. I think when you had the first ones in your car, he might have gotten to them somehow, like popped the lock on the door or something, took them, made copies or took pictures of them, and then put them back. That one makes sense to me. But the rest of them don't".

"There is another link here, Jonathan".

"What's that?"

"Nikki".

"Nikki wouldn't steal from me, or anyone".

"It makes sense, Jonathan. Why she's been meeting up with Elliott".

"Allegedly meeting up with Elliott".

"Allegedly nothing! I saw them! Twice!"

"So, what are you saying, that she only came to town and rekindled our friendship to steal from me?"

"I can see that. Think about it. Where do you usually keep the designs?"

"In my briefcase".

"And where was your briefcase when her car broke down?"

"In the backseat".

"And when she spent the night here?"

"Over in the chair".

"And when you two had lunch?"

"Ok, fine, I see your point. But that doesn't make her a thief".

"It does if she was alone with the designs and is the one who took them".

"So, what am I supposed to do? Just come out and ask her if she's been stealing my designs?"

"No. But you could set a trap and see if she takes the bait".

"That seems a little middle-school-ish".

"If it works, it works".

"Nikki isn't a thief. End of story".

Jennifer got up and started clearing the table and did the dishes.

When she was done, she went and put on her comfy clothes and climbed into bed and started writing.

Jonathan settled on the couch and started watching tv.

They had a quiet night and barely spoke to each other at all.

Jonathan came to bed a couple of hours after Jennifer fell asleep.

He climbed in, wrapped his arms around her, and fell asleep next to her.

***The Next Morning***

Jennifer got up when Jonathan's alarm went off, and went to make coffee.

They both got ready without saying much, and then Jonathan headed to the office.

"Have a good day, I love you".

"I love you too, I'll call you later".

He gave her a few kisses and then headed out.

Jennifer busied herself signing books for a couple of hours in advance of her book signing, and then went to run some errands.

***Hart Industries***

Jennifer stepped off the elevator and headed towards Jonathan's office.

"Hello Deanne. Is he in?"

"He's in a meeting upstairs. It should be over in a little bit".

"Ok, that's fine. I'll just wait in his office".

"Perfect. Make yourself at home. I'm going to run this report to Stanley and then I'll be back if you need anything".

Jennifer went in and sat at Jonathan's desk.

He had a nice, powerful desk, that she had helped him pick out. It was mahogany, with a cherry finish. He had a picture of him and Jennifer in the corner, that had been taken just after they were engaged. In the corner of that frame, he had a smaller size photo of Jennifer in her wedding dress.

She found a pad in his desk drawer, and wrote him a short note.

_I love you, and I believe in you always. Love, Me_.

She slipped the note in his middle desk drawer and then closed it.

She smiled when the door to his office opened.

She started to get up and then saw that it wasn't Jonathan coming through the door.

"Hi Jenny".

"Hello Elliott".


	10. Chapter 10

"What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see Jonathan. We have some business to talk about".

"I see. Jonathan tells me you've been very fortunate in business lately".

"Yes, I have. My dabble into electronics has been more successful than I thought it would be".

"What exactly made you dabble into electronics?"

"You. I was in New York a few months back, and I saw you and Jonathan coming out of a restaurant. I was on one side of the street, and you two were across the street from me. I saw how you were looking at him. And I realized that in all the time I knew you, you never looked at me the way that you look at him."

Jennifer was looking in her purse for something, and saw her tape recorder. She quickly hit record.

"So, you thought that if you were successful, I would leave my husband and come back to you?"

"Yes".

"That's insane. I love Jonathan with all of my heart, for the person that he is, not just because of his success".

"Losing you isn't an option for me."

"It's already happened, Elliott. Jonathan is the one I love. And in fairness, what you and I shared was over long before I met him".

"What do I have to do or say to convince you? Just tell me. I promise, whatever you want, it's yours".

"I want Jonathan."

"He can't give you what I can, Jenny. Just give me another chance".

"Tell me something. Why did you and Nikki set me up?"

"We thought the members of the board would look at you as the suspect even if we didn't set you up, so it just seemed like a no-brainer. Nikki promised that she could not only help me be successful in the European market, but that she could get Jonathan away from you so I could get you all to myself, so we worked together".

"How did you all do it?"

"Well, the day I met you in the park, I saw the plans in your front seat. I jimmied the lock, took the plans, took photos of them, put the plans back, locked the door back, and then went and talked to you in the park. The other times, Nikki got them for me. A few times she got to the plans when Jonathan was distracted. A few times, he left her alone with the plans".

"I cannot believe I ever thought you were a decent human being".

"Us businessmen are all alike, Jenny. The bottom line comes first, and our personal line comes second".

Before she could respond, he picked up the phone.

"I'm going to call my service, do you mind?"

She discreetly turned off the tape recorder and then got up and went to Deanne's desk.

"Hi. Is Jonathan's meeting done yet?"

"Yes, I think they just finished up".

"Good. Elliott's in his office and I'm more than ready for him to leave".

"I'm sorry. He must have come while I was away from my desk".

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can handle it, I'm just irritated".

She went back in the office.

Elliott was just hanging up.

"Jenny, give Jonathan my regrets will ya? An important business matter has come up, and I have to go attend to it. He and I can discuss our business matter another time. It was great to see you. And uhhh….no hard feelings on setting you up, right?"

"Goodbye, Elliott".

She sat back down at his desk.

A few minutes later, Jonathan came through the door.

"Hi darling".

"Hi".

"I wasn't expecting to see you here".

He came over and embraced her and gave her a few kisses.

"I thought I would surprise you. And I'm glad I did. We need to talk".

She filled him in on her whole interaction with Elliott.

"And then he used your phone to check his messages, and that's when I turned the recorder off. And then he said he had to leave, and he actually had the audacity to suggest that there were no hard feelings between us. Like that would ever be the case. And then he left. And for the first time in the whole time I've known him, he just looked so sad and pathetic and desperate".

"That's because he is desperate, darling. Play me the tape".

She played him the tape and tried to keep him calm as he listened to it.

"Well, there's only one thing left to do."

"What's that?"

"Play this for the board".

"Jonathan, do you really think that's wise?"

"Yes, I do. Darling, he and I didn't have any business to discuss. I think he was here to gloat to me that he got a contract that I didn't, again. And because he got it and I didn't, the board has called a special meeting for an hour from now and they are more than likely going to try and do a no-confidence vote for me".

"Well, we will just have to convince them otherwise".

She kissed him a few times and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Or, we could just say to hell with all of this and move away somewhere and start fresh".

He chuckled.

"Option 2 doesn't sound half bad".

They were sitting on the couch when his buzzer sounded.

He got up and answered it.

"Mr. Hart, you have a visitor".

"Send them in".

The door opened and Nikki walked in.

"Hi, is this a bad time?"

"No actually. Please, come in, have a seat and explain to me why you went behind my back to set my wife up with Elliott Manning of all people".

"Jonathan, it was never intended to hurt you. We just thought if you weren't so focused on Jennifer, you and I could go back to Europe and the three of us could bolster the success of Stephanos Corp as well as Manning Enterprises on the European front".

"Nikki, I'm focused on Jennifer because she is my wife. That's never going to change. You had no right to use our friendship in this way".

"You're right. It was wrong of me. I admit, it was a risky move. But think of the benefits-Hart Industries could be mega successful in the European Market, and with your influence and expertise, so could Stephanos Corp. and Manning Enterprises. And I selfishly thought if you could just spend a few minutes with me, you would see that maybe we gave up too soon".

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"You had no right to set my wife up this way. You had no right to steal from my company. And you had no right to go behind my back and try to get me involved in business deals with Elliott Manning".

"You're right. I'm sorry. I apologize also to you, Jennifer".

"Thank you".

Jonathan buzzed Deanne.

"Yes Mr. Hart?"

"Hi. Can you call for security and have them come escort Miss Stephanos off the property?"

"Right away".

"Thank you".

"Jonathan, you haven't called me Miss Stephanos since you met me. Why the formality?".

"Nikki, I think our business-and our friendship-is over. From now on, if you want to see me, you will do it here at the office, and by appointment only".

"Jonathan, come on. Be reasonable. Don't be like that".

"You left me no choice, Nikki. I might not be the most successful businessman, but I'll be damned if I'm a dishonest one. And I refuse to do business or have anything to do with anyone who puts my wife in danger, or tries to make her look bad. I won't have that. You crossed a line".

"Jonathan, I apologized 3 times already. What more can I do?"

"Absolutely nothing".

The head of security arrived.

"You need me, Mr. Hart?"

"Yes. Allan, please escort this lady off the premises, and from now on, she is to only be here with a standing appointment".

"Yes sir".

"Goodbye Jonathan".

"Goodbye Nikki".

Jennifer came over and embraced him as Allan and Nikki left.

"I know that was hard for you, Jonathan. But you handled that so well".

He kissed her a few times and just hugged her.

"I'm sorry I doubted you when you told me she wasn't being honest. I should have listened to you from the very beginning".

She didn't say anything. She just leaned up and kissed him.

He picked up the phone and called Elliott's office.

"Hey, Elliott? It's Jonathan Hart, here. Listen, my wife just filled me in on your conversation with her. And I just wanted to make sure that you understand that from this moment forward, I will never, under any circumstances do business with you at all for any reason. I would also advise you to not come near my wife again. And another thing-don't bother coming to my offices, as you won't be allowed on the property".

He hung up.

"What did he say?"

"He was grumbling something about not being too hasty".

She hugged him and rubbed his back for a moment.

"Let's face the board together. We can play the tape for them, and I can vouch for you. Surely that will mean something".

He nodded.

"Let's go".

***Board room***

Jonathan and Jennifer walked hand in hand to the board meeting. The other board members were already assembled.

"Hello, everyone. This is my beautiful wife, Jennifer. Darling, this is the board. We have Andrew Haynes, Deborah Keeler, Mary Alice Edwards, James Prince, Derek Hammond, William Barkley, Susan Watson, and Michael Fox."

"Hello, it's lovely to meet all of you".

They took their seats and the meeting began.

"Jonathan, we'll get right to the point. Manning Enterprises has bested you and Hart Industries over and over again, and we've been talking. We need a leader who can take our company to new heights, not someone who keeps playing the same game with the same strategy only to lose each and every time. We have a responsibility to our stockholders. Therefore, I respectfully move that we hold a vote of no-confidence".

"Before you do that, I have some evidence to show you."

"What will it prove?"

"That each and every time Manning has bested me, it was a setup from the beginning."

Jennifer tapped her fingernails on the table.

"If you need proof that Jonathan is innocent, isn't my presence here enough?"

"I'm sorry, but that proves nothing other than your loyalty to your husband".

"I'd hardly call that nothing. To know my husband is to love him. And you can't know him or love him without realizing how honorable, and decent, and honest he is".

She turned to Jonathan.

"Play the tape, darling".

He played them the tape and then turned it off.

"What was the context of the tape being made?"

"I was in Jonathan's office earlier this morning. And Elliott stopped by, under the guise of discussing business with Jonathan. And we started talking, and I'm a journalist, so I usually have a tape recorder in my purse, and I just took the opportunity to turn it on in case it proved to be fruitful, which it did".

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that you will give me another chance to prove myself. However, I want to remind you that a few short months ago, you all tried to convince me that Jennifer was behind the leak, and this tape we just played you proved that she was not. And not one of you had anything to say in support of my wife! And I told you then, that if I have to, I will replace everyone of you on this board. Now, if you don't have confidence in me, fine. Resign your position. However, just this morning, I landed not one, but two exclusive Navy contracts, and we are in talks to merge with a few other companies in the very near future. The way I see it, Hart Industries is going places and you can either come along or stay behind, your choice. But if you retain your seat on this board, from this day forward, suggesting or insinuating that my wife is betraying me or this company will not be tolerated".

"All those in favor of removing Jonathan Hart as CEO of Hart Industries, say aye".

"Aye".

"Aye".

"Aye".

"All those opposed, say nay".

"Nay".

"Nay".

"Nay".

"Nay".

"Nay".

"Nay".

"Jonathan, you retain your position as CEO".

"Thank you".

Jennifer leaned over and hugged him.

"Before we adjourn, Mrs. Hart, I would like to formally apologize to you for this board suggesting and accusing you of betraying this company and your husband. We too, played into Mr. Manning's hands. We should not have done that and we apologize".

"Thank you".

"If there is no further business, this meeting is adjourned".

They all shook hands and then Jennifer and Jonathan headed back to his office.

As soon as he came through the door, his phone was ringing off the hook.

Jennifer took a seat on the couch, while he started fielding calls. As soon as he would hang up from one call, another would come through. By the time 3 hours had passed, Jonathan had agreed to 5 business deals, and had 3 people waiting on him so they could sign the papers.

He bounced all the calls to Deanne, and then signed all the papers with the people who were there with him.

When he was finished, he saw the last person out and then came over to Jennifer.

"You were pretty sexy today, darling. I just love watching you work".

He picked her up and spun her around.

"Darling, do me a favor. I'm going to call out some figures. You get a calculator, and I'll get a calculator and we are going to add them up".

"Ok".

They added up the figures three times.

"Darling, each time we add these figures up, they come to the same number. That's how math works."

"What's the figure?"

"25.8 million".

"That's what I keep getting too".

She handed him his calculator and he put in the desk drawer and then stood up and grabbed her face and kissed her.

It was a long, passionate, frantic kiss.

"What was that for?"

"Darling, the figures we added up is our net profit. That's after taxes, after payroll, and after costs. That's the amount that you and I will make from all of these deals together".

"You mean…?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean".

She grabbed him and kissed him again.

"That's for skill and ingenuity".

"Well, thank you".

She kissed him again.

"And what was that one for?"

"Me".

"Darling, what do you say I take you to dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town?"

"Maybe another night".

"Want to go house hunting?"

"Not today".

"Car shopping".

She put her hands on his chest.

"There is only one place I want to go to, and I want us go there together and spend all night there without any interruptions".

"Ahhh. What a great idea".

They grabbed their things and headed home.

***Jonathan and Jennifer's apartment***

Jonathan and Jennifer arrived at home at the same time, and came right inside.

As soon as the door was locked, he picked her up and kissed her as he carried her to the bedroom.

They quickly shed their clothes and climbed into bed. He reached over and turned the phone off and then climbed on top of her.

They spent the next hour exploring each other's bodies, until their passion had built up so fast they couldn't stand it anymore.

He quickly protected them and then climbed back on top of her and joined their bodies together in one swift motion.

If there was one thing Jonathan was an expert at in the office, it was negotiating. Out of the office, he was an expert at pushing all of Jennifer's sexual buttons and deepening their level of intimacy each and every time.

She grabbed his face and kissed him, as he propelled his hips forward over and over again.

"Deeper…go deeper….oh yes…..just like that".

He kissed her neck as he picked up the pace.

"You are so….incredibly….beautiful".

She pulled her fingernails up his back, as she relaxed her hips to open them up more.

The feelings of ecstasy and euphoria hit them both at the same time, and they clung to each other as they enjoyed the feeling till the last possible second, and then calmed down.

Jennifer kissed him and then grabbed her robe.

"I'll be right back".

She quickly ran to the kitchen, grabbed two glasses and the bottle of champagne they had been saving for a special occasion, plus the fruit bowl and some cheese and crackers and then came back to bed.

"What's all this?"

"We are going to celebrate, of course. Not only did you sign a bunch of deals, but you handled the board, and the situation with Elliott and Nikki, perfectly. And I am so proud of you".

She leaned over and kissed him and then he opened the bottle of champagne.

They cuddled up in the bed and snacked and drank their champagne.

Jonathan leaned over and turned the phone back on, and then topped off their glasses.

The phone rang, and he answered it as Jennifer gave him a look.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. H. It's me, Max. You got a minute? I really gotta talk to you".


	11. Chapter 11

"Sure Max, what's going on?"

"Can we meet for coffee tomorrow? Maybe around 3?"

"Yeah, we can do that. How about the coffee shop at Miraview and Ocean drive, next to the bookstore?"

"Sounds good, I'll see you there".

"See you then".

He hung up and turned back to Jennifer.

"Max ok?"

"I think so. He just said he really needs to talk to me. We are meeting for coffee tomorrow".

It started to rain outside, and sure enough a few minutes later, the roof started to leak.

"Darling, what do you say after we get a pot to catch the rain, that we look through some house listings?"  
"I say absolutely".

They got all settled and snuggled up with the house listings, and began to look through them.

After a few minutes, they each had a pile of houses they liked.

They went through each other's piles and discussed each one.

Finally, they came to the last house listed.

"Ok, how about this one? It says the price has been reduced. It's set back from the road, its' got a pool, 4 bedrooms upstairs, including a spacious master with attached bathroom, and a spacious master bed and bathroom downstairs off the kitchen. The kitchen is large with all new appliances and a breakfast nook, and there's a large office, living room, and dining room as well. 3 car garage, 12 acres, gated, with intercom and electronic gate".

"Sounds perfect".

She handed him the listing and then grabbed the legal pad off her nightstand and a pen.

"Darling, this says they are having an open house at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I think we should go".

"I agree".

"Darling, I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but I think we are going to need some more furniture when we move in, plus we are going to need another vehicle. I can work from home, but with as isolated as this place is, I don't want to be stranded at the house all day without a car".

"We can definitely do that".

She kissed him again and put the legal pad on the nightstand.

The phone rang, so he reached over and picked it up.

"Hello? Yeah, she's right here".

He passed the phone to Jennifer.

"Hello? Oh hi, Marcia".

"Jennifer, I'm sorry to call so late. But I just wanted you to know-you're a success. The book company just called me. Your book is a bestseller, and you have already sold almost 250,000 copies. Your sales have surpassed all projections and you earned a bonus. It's a big one. It's 6 figures. And they want a sequel to the book. This is the best scenario possible".

"Oh my gosh….are you sure? I don't believe it".

"I'm positive. I'm going to send your check over by messenger within the hour".

"Thank you, I appreciate it".

They hung up.

She immediately refilled their champagne glasses.

"Everything ok?"

"Everything is better than ok. Marcia said that my book is a best seller, that the book company wants a sequel, that my sales have blown past all projections, and that I've almost sold a quarter of a million copies, and that I earned a 6-figure bonus".

"Very good, darling! I'm so proud of you".

He leaned over and kissed her.

They continued their celebration until they heard a knock at the door.

She threw her robe on and went to answer it.

"Delivery for Jennifer Hart".

"That's me".

"Sign here, please".

She signed for it, he handed her the envelope and then she locked the door.

She took it to bed and opened it.

"Here it is."

They were both surprised by how much it was.

"Darling, we could buy 5 cars and a whole house of furniture with this!"

"We could, we could".

She kissed him and then reached up and turned out the light.

"Let the celebrations continue".

***The Next Morning***

Jennifer and Jonathan were up and ready for the open house and arrived right on time.

They toured the house and asked a bunch of questions before going to the patio to talk it over.

"I like it. I say we make them an offer".

"I agree".

They walked back inside and found the realtor.

"We'll pay full asking price".

"Sold!"

Jonathan picked Jennifer up and swung her around.

"We did it. We are homeowners".

"We are".

She kissed him and then he set her down.

They signed the paperwork, and then headed out, after agreeing to a 30-day closing.

They stopped by the bank, and then headed to the car dealership, and by the time they had left, Jonathan had purchased a new Mercedes convertible for Jennifer and a Mercedes station wagon to use as an extra car.

They went shopping for furniture and got some ideas of what they wanted for the new house.

Their final stop was the coffee shop, to meet Max.

***Coffee shop***

Jennifer ordered them both a sandwich and some coffee, and brought it to the table. Just as they had finished eating, Max showed up.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. H."

"Hey Max".

"Hey Max".

Jonathan went and ordered him a coffee and then brought it to him.

"How are things at the office, Mr. H.?"

"I think we are finally on the map, Max. I signed two Navy contracts last week, and a few other deals, and we are finally into the high numbers".

"That's wonderful! How's the book writing coming, Mrs. H.?"

"Wonderfully well. I'm a bestseller, Max".

"I'm so proud".

"Ok, Max. What's the big emergency?"

"Well, you know Stinky and the boys, well, they had a poker game at Stinky's house. And I was doing really well, I was hitting all the cards. Luck was all over me. And then one thing led to another and we upped the stakes and I really thought he was bluffing, and that I couldn't lose. So, I tossed my keys to my car into the pot. Stinky tossed his in also, and then raised me his house. And I didn't have anything else to bet, so I had no choice, I had to see his bet with the house".

"What house?"

"My house. I know it ain't much, but it's enough for me, and it's in good shape, so it does have some value".

"And?"

"And he wasn't bluffing".

"Oh no".

"So, I was thinking. What if you and the boys had a poker game and you bluffed him, and got him to put the house up and then I could win it back? Or you could win it and give it to me".

"We can definitely play poker, but I can't control whether or not he puts the house in the pot, Max. Have you talked to him and asked him if you two can work this out another way?"

"Yeah, I tried that. He got up on his high horse and told me I had 30 days to vacate the premises".

"Well, if worst comes to worst, you can always move in with Jennifer and me. We bought a house today, and there's more than enough room for you".

"That's sweet, but I can't afford my third share of a house".

"It'll all come out in the wash, Max".

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. We love you, Max. You'll always have a home with us".

"It's a deal, Mr. H".

"Great! We move in 30 days from now. I just bought an extra vehicle to keep at the house, so you can use that too".

"Great. I really appreciate this, and I promise, no more betting houses or vehicles at the poker tables".

They shook on it.

"That's a great rule to follow, Max".

"He may think he's getting a great deal with my house and my car, but little does he know, the roof leaks in the laundry room and the transmission sticks when you put it in 3rd gear. It would serve him right to take it up on the highway and get in a jam".

Jennifer smirked.

"Now listen! I insist on helping out. How about if instead of paying rent, what if I do the cooking and the cleaning? I can also drive you two places if you need me too".

"I think we can live with that".

"I agree. And we'll pay you a salary for helping out, Max".

"It's a deal".

"We'll be in touch, Max".

"Sounds good, Mr. H."

"Bye Max".

"Bye Mrs. H."

All three headed out, happy with their decision.

***Jennifer and Jonathan's Apartment***

Jennifer and Jonathan came inside and got settled. Jennifer started making lists of what she wanted to pack and not pack, and what she wanted to donate. Jonathan turned on the tv.

"Darling-"

The phone started ringing, so Jonathan reached over and got it.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hart, it's Stanley. I'm at the office and I just got a phone call. The Navy is interested in 2 more of our products. Is there any way you can come meet with them today at 5?"

"Sure, I can do that. Can you prepare a report about what products they are interested in? I can be there about 4:30, and would like to have some time to prepare myself if possible".

"Sure, Mr. Hart".

"Thank you."

He hung up.

"Darling, can you come with me to the office? I have a meeting at 5, and if it goes the way I think it will, I want to take you to dinner afterwards".

"Sure".

They got up and got ready and then headed out.

***Hart Industries***

Jonathan and Jennifer came into his office. Stanley's report was waiting for him on his desk.

He sat down and started reading it, while Jennifer sat down on the couch and continued her making her list of things she wanted to do at the new house, such as paint colors, room designation, etc.

"Ok darling, let's head to the conference room".

Jonathan's secretary showed the representative from the Navy into the room.

After all the pleasantries were exchanged, they got down to business.

"Gentlemen, how did this come about?"

Just then, the door opened.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart. He wouldn't wait".

"It's ok. Come on in, Elliott. I forgot to tell security you were banned from the premises. I'll make sure to do just that as soon as the meeting ends. In the meantime, I would love for you to have a seat and enjoy the observation of a real businessman at work".

"Don't mind if I do".

"Gentlemen, I take it you already know Elliott Manning?"

"Yes, we do. And while this isn't ideal, it will actually be helpful".

"Elliott, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Mr. Rosenbloom called and told my secretary he wanted to meet with me. So, I did a little digging, found out he was here, and thought I would come over and give you the satisfaction of hearing him choose my company over yours".

Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"Elliott….have you always been so obnoxious?"

"I'm not the one who changed, Jenny. You are. Although, I'm not surprised at all that you feel as though you don't know me like you thought you did. You were so wrapped up in your job you just never seemed to notice my actual personality traits".

"Things work out the way they are supposed to, with the person they are supposed to".

"This is nice and all, but if we can get back to the business deal-"

"Yes, let's. Have a seat, Elliott".

Elliott sat down.

"As we were saying, a few months ago, we discovered some products and put them to use on our ships. The first product was the antenna that we could adjust to sharpen the signal. We purchased it from Manning Enterprises, and put a rush on the production. After two months, we have been recording the data, and have made a decision. The other product was an electronic telescope that is waterproof. We also purchased that product from Manning, Enterprises. And we have the data on that product for the last two months as well. The bottom line is, we want to start over from scratch with the Hart Industries version of both products. And if you don't have adequate production space, we will finance it till you do".

"Now hold on! You signed a contract with my company, Mr. Rosenbloom. You have to honor that".

"That's Captain Rosenbloom to you! And look at the contract-all it says is that we agreed to purchase the products from your company, which we did. It says nothing about us choosing to replace those products with products from another company".

"Stanley, can you print off a contract for these products for the captain to sign?"

"Right away, sir".

"Now, before he does that, I think I have a right to know why my products aren't being used anymore".

"Well, for one, the antenna's broke almost as soon as we screwed them into the radio. The signals weren't steady nor consistent. And if you refer back to your notes from when you pitched those products to me, you'll see that you promised us that the antennas would have copper on the inside. But in each one that broke apart, all we found was foil. Not even high-quality foil, at that. As for the telescopes, they weren't waterproof at all. They rusted almost as soon as we put them in the water. We can't run a submarine with non-retractable telescopes. And when my supplies coordinator contacted your company about replacements, you tried to charge us for all new ones, instead of honoring the warranty you told me about".

Stanley came back with the contracts.

"Captain Rosenbloom, our antennas are made of grade A, high quality copper and steel. And the last test that we did indicated it would hold the signal for 60+ hours in all conditions, including category 4 hurricane winds. And our telescopes are made of a special rubber, that will never rust, and they are definitely retractable. And if they break, I'll come out and fix them myself".

He slid the contract across the table to the captain, who read it and then looked up.

"Captain Rosenbloom, if you could find it in your heart to give my company another chance-"

"Save it, Manning. As we say in the Navy, that ship has officially sailed".

Captain Rosenbloom looked up at Jonathan.

"Do you have a pen?"

"Yes sir".

He slid the captain a pen, and they readily signed the contracts.

"Jonathan, it's a pleasure doing business with you".

Elliott angrily got up and stormed out.

Jonathan and the Captain shook hands, and then everyone headed back to Jonathan's office.

As soon as they were alone, he picked Jennifer up and swung her around as he kissed her.

"Darling, you did it! You not only got two naval contracts, but you beat Elliott at his own game as well".

"I did, didn't I? And the $40 million price tag isn't too shabby either".

They shared several long kisses and then Jonathan picked up the phone.

"Max, it's Jonathan. Jennifer and I want to take you to dinner. What do you say to meeting us at Martinelli's Steakhouse in about a half hour?"

"Sounds good, Mr. H."

He hung up and then they headed out, hand in hand.

***Martinelli's Steakhouse***

Jonathan and Jennifer had only been there a few minutes when Max showed up.

"Hey Max".

"Hey Max".

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. H."

Jennifer poured him some champagne and handed it to him.

"What's the fancy occasion?"

"The fancy occasion is that I have the most intelligent and handsome husband in the whole world".

She leaned over and kissed him.

"Well, thank you".

Jonathan took a sip of champagne.

"What he means is, my company was recently bested by a competitor for two very lucrative Naval contracts. And we did some investigating, and determined that this competitor had set Jennifer and I up, and used us to steal the designs. And then his company made the products cheaper, which resulted in decreased functional ability, and after two months, the Navy was ready to call it quits. So they did, and they purchased my products, which resulted in a hefty payday for Hart Industries, among other things".

"And I couldn't be prouder of him".

Jennifer leaned over and kissed him.

"And Jennifer here, wrote such a great novel that the company is asking for a sequel. And I couldn't be prouder of her".

He leaned over and kissed her again.

"And we wanted to share these moments with you, because you are our family".

"I couldn't be any prouder of you if you were really my son".

"Thank you, Max".

Jennifer teared up at hearing Max call Jonathan his son.

"And you picked a damn good woman to be your wife, too".

"Aww, thanks, Max".

Jonathan raised his glass.

"To Family".

"I'll drink to that. To Family".

"To Family".

They all clinked glasses.


	12. Chapter 12

***Six Months Later***

Jennifer and Jonathan had rented a block of hotel rooms in downtown Los Angeles. They were having their rooftop vow renewal ceremony.

Jennifer had insisted that they go through with all the traditions, like not seeing each other before the ceremony and all of that, just like if it was their first wedding. Miraculously, she had talked her father into attending.

Susan Kendall and Laura Monroe had graciously agreed to stand up there with her, and were in her room, helping her get ready.

Jennifer had gotten each of them monogrammed robes, in hot pink.

She had one for herself, that was monogrammed with a large cursive H.

Once her makeup and hair were absolutely perfect, they helped her slip her heels on, and then get her jewelry in place.

"Ok, time for your dress".

Her dress was A-line, with a v-neck, and was covered in sequins. It was made of tulle, and was floor length, with a natural waistline.

They helped her slip it on over her head, and then they helped her zip it up.

"Oh my gosh, you are absolutely breathtaking!"

"Yes, you are going to knock Jonathan's socks off".

"So, tell us about the ceremony".

"Well, it's up on the rooftop. And we are going to recite our own vows. Max has agreed to officiate, and then we are going to have a huge reception in the ballroom just off the rooftop, and do all the things we weren't allowed to do last time, like drink champagne and have real music from this century, and do the bouquet toss and the garter toss".

"That sounds lovely".

Jennifer's dad came in, and told her it was time for photographs.

"Wonderful".

The bridal party went and took about 200 photographs, and then came back to the suite.

They only had another hour to wait until the ceremony began.

While they were waiting to walk down the aisle, Stephen turned to Jennifer.

"Sweetheart, I owe you an apology. You were right. You're a grown woman, and you and Jonathan deserve to have the wedding you wanted to have, and not the one I forced you to have".

"Thank you, Pa. I'm glad you are here to see the redo".

She kissed his cheek.

Susan and Laura were wearing pink sequin v-cut floor length gowns, and black sparkly heels. Everyone was carrying bouquets of Jennifer's favorite flowers-dahlia's, wisteria and purple gladiolus, mixed with white roses.

Stephen and Jennifer made their way down the aisle, and Max began the ceremony.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today, to witness these two wonderful people renew their vows. I have the pleasure of knowing them better than anyone else, and it is extremely clear to me that these two people are perfect for each other. They balance each other so well, and they truly bring out the best in each other."

With that, Stephen kissed Jennifer's cheek, and then handed her over to Jonathan and took his seat. Jennifer handed her flowers to Susan and then took Jonathan's hands.

"Mr. and Mrs. H have elected to write their own vows this time around. Mr. H., you may begin".

"If someone had told me when I was younger that I would be married to a woman as gorgeous and intelligent and kind hearted and genuine as you, I would have laughed in their face. I remember when I was in high school, and I made the baseball team, my coach would always say "Focus on the fences". When I met you, I hit it out of the park. You, quite frankly, are more than I deserve. You brighten each and every day just by being present. And you have a smile that is absolutely contagious. Everything I do is with you in mind, whether I'm doing something for you, or I'm doing something that will allow us to do something else together, it doesn't matter. You and your happiness is always the end result. You are my entire world, and I cannot wait to make all of your dreams come true. I love you, forever and for always".

"Jennifer, it's your turn".

She took a deep breath, and then began.

"When I met you, you took my breath away. And every morning when I wake up next to you, you take it away all over again. And every night when I fall asleep next to you, my last thought is always that I'm the luckiest woman in the world, because I get to be loved by you each and every day for the rest of my life. In the last year, you and I have each grown, a lot. And we grew together as well. And we learned a lot. For instance, I learned that you love it when I bring you coffee when you get out of the shower. And you hate it when I forget to get gas and you have to come to rescue me. And I learned that you are all I need to be incredibly happy every single day. I also learned that I'm going to have to find a way to accept being happier than I deserve, because I definitely don't deserve you. You also have taught me to appreciate the beauty that is all around us, such as in a sunset, or in the flowers you love to send me, or in the simplicity of our stay-at-home date nights. I have no idea what the next day will bring, or even the next hour. I am certain I want to find out what the future holds with you. What I know for sure is that I couldn't possibly love you anymore than I already do, but somehow when I wake up each day, I find that I already do. I love you, with all of my heart".

She nodded to Max that she was finished.

"Now it's time for the rings".

Drew handed Jonathan the rings.

"Mr. H. decided he wanted to give Mrs. H. a surprise today, so he got her all new rings. This is the first time she's going to see them. Mrs. H., take Jonathan's ring and slip it on his finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed".

"With this ring, I thee wed".

"Jonathan, slip Jennifer's rings on her finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed".

"With this ring, I thee wed".

Jennifer was staring at her rings. He had upgraded her engagement ring to a 4 carat Ascher cut diamond on a platinum band with a halo, and a thin diamond band behind it. They were absolutely gorgeous.

"By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce these two married, again. Mr. H., you may kiss your wife".

Jonathan stepped forward and kissed her tenderly and romantically as everyone cheered for them.

Jennifer got her flowers from Susan and they turned around. Everyone was clapping and cheering for them. Jennifer took a moment and really took in the scene. They had candles on shepherd's hooks at the edge of each aisle. They had candles lining the pathway on each side of the aisle, surrounded by lavender wreaths.

Light pink sashes draped each chair, and large bouquets of their wedding flowers were placed all around. It was everything Jennifer dreamed of.

The applause died down, so Max decided to pronounce them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hart".

They laced their fingers together and walked up the aisle and into the reception room.

Jennifer was even more in awe of the reception room. Photos of them were on each table, and she had made a scrapbook that held each card that he had ever sent to her in flower bouquets.

After they took some more photos, it was time for their first dance.

"This was amazing".

"Yeah, it was. It really came together".

"You make me so happy".

"You make me so happy".

"And darling, I just want you to know, if it was all yanked away from us tomorrow, and we had to go back to the apartment with the leaky roof and eat Ramen, I would still be just as much in love with you as I am now".

She leaned up and kissed him a few times.

"Darling, I promise you, no matter what, we will never survive on Ramen noodles again".

They were both laughing as they moved around the dance floor.

For the next few hours, they did all the wedding traditions, danced their hearts out, and just enjoyed speaking to their guests.

Jennifer made sure the favor baskets were ready and filled. They had gotten everyone a candle with their monogram on it in their wedding colors, and matchbooks that said "Sparks Flew", and their names and wedding date.

As the night drew to a close, they walked hand in hand through a receiving line as their guests tossed large sequined pieces of confetti on them. They stopped in the middle and kissed for a picture, and then continued on.

When they got to the car, they turned around.

"Thanks for coming everyone. We love all of you, and we would stay, but this gorgeous lady and I have plans to spend the next two weeks in Monaco and Spain, so we better get going".

Jennifer jumped up and down and hugged and kissed Jonathan.

He helped her into the car and they drove off into the night, beer cans and streamers waving in the distance.

***LAX***

"Jonathan, why won't you tell me where we are staying tonight?"

"All in due time, I promise."

Jennifer wanted nothing more than to get out of her dress and heels and into her nightgown and robe and slippers.

He grabbed the back of her hand and kissed it.

"We are almost there".

They rode along to their destination and she was practically giddy when she realized they were at the airport.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Honeymoon time".

They got out and handed their bags to the crew while they headed up into the cabin of the plane.

As soon as they were settled, Jonathan popped the cork on some champagne and poured them a glass.

"I can't believe you rented us a private plane".

"I didn't".

"You didn't?"

"No. That was part of the surprise. Hart Industries now owns this plane".

"How wonderful!"

She leaned over and kissed him.

They took off, as she settled on his shoulder.

"So, after we get back from our trip, I'm going to hire a permanent pilot. And we still have to finish decorating the house like you wanted, and the landscaping".

"All in due time, darling".

She played with his fingers for a few minutes, and then turned to him.

"How long is our flight?"

"I can't tell you that, then you might figure out where we are going".

"Pajamas, Jonathan. Can I get into my pajamas?"  
"Our flight isn't going to take all night, but we do still have to walk into a hotel. So, if you're ok with everyone seeing you in your pajamas-"

"No thank you, what I packed to bring with me tonight is for your eyes only".

She leaned over and kissed him.

"Glad to hear it".

She wrapped her arm around his, and leaned against his shoulder.

"So, what is the time frame for our trip?"

"Well, we are arriving at destination #1 sometime tonight. And we are staying there for just a few nights, and then we are heading out to destination #2, which is Spain. And after we have eaten all of the pasta and seen all of the sights, and learned the entire Spanish language, we will then move on to Monaco. And while we are in Monaco, we can lay on the beach, sightsee, if we want to, and just enjoy each other's company for an entire week and then we will come back home".

"That sounds wonderful".

They were in the middle of a long, romantic kiss when the pilot came over the intercom and told them they were about 20 minutes from landing.

"Buckle up, please. We are due to land in about 20 minutes".

They put their seatbelts on, and finished their champagne, and then prepared for a landing.

As soon as the plane came to a complete stop, they gathered their things and Jonathan opened the door.

"Darling, let's go enjoy Napa Valley".

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"You always pick the most perfect places and ways to spoil me".

"I love you, Mrs. Hart".

"I love you, Mr. Hart".

And they lived happily ever after…..


End file.
